


Champagne

by Gloomiebunny009



Category: Persona 5
Genre: Asexual Character, Drama, Drugged Sex, Dubious Consent, F/M, Friendship, Rule 63, gender flip
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-06-21
Updated: 2017-12-31
Packaged: 2018-11-16 19:05:36
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 53,552
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11259078
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Gloomiebunny009/pseuds/Gloomiebunny009
Summary: Working with Akechi is bad enough. But for Ryuko, what's worse is what happens when both of them are hit with a strange substance...and the consequences of that.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> I don't usually do notes at the beginning of my stuff, but i just wanted to make a quick note about the protagonist name here. With my game I called him "Chiba Kaito" which is what I use here. I do this because while he does get a name in the manga, I'm not totally sure that's his official name. I go by this mainly because when Atlus decided to officially name Persona 3's protagonist it wasn't Arisato Minato everyone had used before. This happened with Persona 4 so this is a bit of a common thing clearly and just to cover my butt for later I'm using my own name.
> 
> Though kudo's to those who figure out the references for both his first name and surname. I'll give you a hint, both come from two famous Phantom Thieves from different animes and mangas.

“Nice going Joker!!”

With a laugh Sakamoto Ryuko bounds over to Chiba Kaito and slaps him on his back lightly. Her leader adjusts his masks as he shrugs his shoulders with ease, grinning all the while. Kitagawa Yusuke soon joins them nodding his head in agreement as he smiles.

All around them the sound of slot machines and talking fill the air making it harder to hear than normal. Unlike the other Palaces they’ve infiltrated Niijima Sae’s is loud and busy with people on top of the shadows. It took a while to get use to but out of all of them Ryuko does have to admit to herself she kind of likes it. The loud glitzy place just shines and flashes in an unusual way compared to the darker, gloomier places they’ve run around in.

What that says about Makoto’s sister, Ryuko isn’t sure but she figures it goes with the theme of the place.

“Yes that was a beautiful performance as always.” Yusuke says as he speaks just a pitch higher than he usually does.

“Dude, don’t get weird.” Ryuko laughs shoving Yusuke lightly.

“You guys are exaggerating.” Kaito adds as he adjusts his gloves and rolling his eyes. “I appreciate the compliments but if it weren't’ for you guys it might have gotten a little dicey.”

Kaito isn’t exactly wrong seeing as the last shadow did nearly have them cornered. Thanks to it really having no weakness similar to the dumb Anubis shadow’s they had come across in Sakura Futaba’s palace.. Even with Futaba’s help it had been a bit of a tough battle.

Glancing up she sees the hacker’s persona floating above them, probably checking out the area. Which is fairly normal for the lovable little shut-in.

“He’s correct, we won this battle together by piling all our strengths on top of the shadow.”

It takes everything in Ryuko not to cringe at the sound of the new voice as she keeps her back to _him_. Unfortunately she fails and makes a face, that only Yusuke notices who in turn tilts his head at. It takes her a few second but Ryuko forces herself to drop the cringe and keep her expression neutral as she turns around to see Akechi Goro standing there.

She isn’t sure why Kaito wants him on their team considering... _things_. But she accepts it and figures her buddy has a plan so she keeps her mouth shut.

Despite that, the pretty boy still is pissing her off more than usual and it’s probably just because he exists given the utter competent she has for this guy. Ever since they met at that dumb TV station all Ryuko’s ever felt for this asshole is hate...hate and annoyance.

Sure it’s lessened a bit since working with him, but still...they all know this guy is just here to fuck them over so why bother being nice?

Oh right, can’t let him know they’re on to him.

“Whatever dude.” Ryuko says with sigh. Looking up she stares at the UFO that hovers over them deciding to use that as a distraction. “How are things going for the other guys Oracle?”

There’s a little beeping noise from the persona before the girl answers. “They’re doing okay and should catch up in a bit. But you guys should keep moving, the shadows are like, everywhere in this place.”

“Yeah I noticed that.” Kaito says as he places a hand on his hip. “Starting to be a bit of a pain with how much we’re fighting them.”

“We may be getting close to meeting our goal and Sae-san’s shadow is getting worried about it?” Akechi suggests. “I mean there is a lot to win in these slots so she might be scheming something to hold us back like before.”

“What a pain in the ass...” Ryuko groans as she places a hand on her shoulder, and moves her arm around. A soft crack comes to her ears as she sighs in relief.

“Indeed it is.” Yusuke agrees holding his chin with a thoughtful stare. “We should all be careful so she doesn’t catch us off guard.”

Everyone nods with Yusuke suggestion in agreement. It’s not hard to see the odd artist is right, even to Ryuko who just rather this day end so she can head home. She’s finding herself having to work with Akechi while acting nice is the most exhausting thing ever. On days they explore this palace she just heads home after this and collapses in her room, falling asleep almost instantly. Sure that has made it hard to do homework but she’s never been that great there in the first place…

“Fox is right.” Kaito says after a bit. “We should all be careful and keep our eyes open for anything weird. This shadow’s a little more on top of us than the previous one’s we’ve fought. So if anything weird pops up, don’t be afraid to speak up okay?”

“You got it Joker.” Ryuko answers right away, nodding her head.

Yusuke and Akechi both give him a controlled understood in return while Futaba chirps a soft “Aye, aye captain!” in their ears. Ryuko can only imagine she’s busy relaying the message to the others who are just a bit back from where they are. Silently she hopes they’re doing okay as they start to move, her eyes drifting towards Akechi.

As they start to walk he stays a bit back, looking lost in thought but paying attention to his surroundings. As she passes by she notices his eyes move to watch her, and she stares back with a blank expression. She can’t tell what he’s thinking with that dumb red mask on but it’s probably nothing good.

Sure the guy has helped them so far with some of the insane tricks forced on them in this casino but at the same time ugh...he’s such a _fake asshole_. The fucked up part of it is if Morgana hadn’t caught on that Akechi could hear him months ago she probably wouldn’t even be able to tell. This guy’s smile and excitement at times feels so real that it creeps her out knowing she’d fall for it.

Ryuko never liked the guy to begin with but she didn’t hate, _hate_ him before this whole mess. In reality she just thought he was some wannabe loser detective who had his head up his own ass. But now well...she isn’t sure what to think.

They all know he’s going to do something when they try to get the treasure, but what that particular thing will be isn’t exactly clear yet. Worst yet he acts as if nothing is wrong, smiling at times, having fun and joking with the rest...hell he’s even protected her a few times.

It’s odd and she hates that part of her has kind of accepted Akechi into their group of misfits and fuck ups. There’s something more to the detective prince than he let’s on and she can see that plain as day.

“ _Teehee.”_

Ryuko blinks when a weird noise reaches her ears and freezes realizing quickly it’s the sound those weird bunny girl shadows make. She turns her head back and forth, trying to figure out where the creepy laugh is coming from.

“ _Hee, Teehee., hee!”_

“There it is again...” Ryuko mumbles to herself feeling her eye twitch. “Where the ‘eff are you...”

Another even stranger noise is mixing with the little giggling. It almost sounds like something is...sloshing around? Yeah that’s it! It sounds like someone’s shaking something with liquid in--

“Skull are you okay?”

“Holy shit!!” Ryuko gasps as she nearly jumps out of her skin when she feels a hand land on her shoulder.

Holding her chest as her heart hammers against it she looks up to see Akechi standing there. He’s got a serious look in his eye as he tilts his head. Kaito and Yusuke have stopped a few feet ahead of them and are staring as Ryuko takes a deep breath. That giggling and sloshing sound hasn’t stopped but for the moment yelling at Akechi is what sounds like the right thing to do now.

“Dude, you scared the shit out of me.” Ryuko snaps glaring up at him.

“I apologize.” Akechi says quickly, a little smile playing on his lips. “I did not mean to frighten you Skull.”

“It’s fine just...man give me a warning next time okay buddy?” She groans a bit as she quietly realizes his hand is still on her shoulder. “You’re like an ‘effing cat sneaking around here.”

“I understand then. I will announce myself more thoroughly for you Skull every time I wish to speak to you.” He actually chuckles at this, shaking his head. “Anyways I was curious as to what made you stop. Did something catch your attention?”

‘ _Why the fuck does he always talk like that...’_ Ryuko thinks to herself narrowing her eyes. _‘God he sounds like some twelve year old trying to be an adult or somethin’. So annoying...’_

“I thought I heard something weird like one of those dumb bunny girl shadows...but I can’t find her.” Ryuko explains quickly as she looks away from him.

“I see...” Akechi’s eyes narrow as he turns to look around.

It’s at this point Ryuko finally notices a gap in the slot machine’s they’re next too. Blinking as she takes a closer look with Akechi following her line of sight as she realizes that’s where the noises are coming from. As they both lean a bit closer to get a better look the they feel their hearts jump into their throat as they realize one of those shadows has stuffed themselves between the machines.

In her hands is what looks to be a large champagne bottles with it’s thumb on the cork. The shadow starts to shake it vigorously making Ryuko gulp audibly as Akechi’s grip on her shoulder tightens. Both freeze afraid to make any sudden movements in case this shadow lunges forward to attack.

Best course of action is to get Kaito’s and Yusuke’s attention and--

“ _Teehee, heE, hEe, TeehEE, tEeHEE!!”_ the shadow giggles, it’s voice getting more mangled and distorted with each laugh.

Finally it stops shaking the bottle, and both realize it’s to late to run as the shadow’s thumb starts to push the cork out of the bottle.

“Oh shit.” Akechi whispers.

Ryuko finds she actually agrees with him on something for once.

In a blink of an eye the shadow’s flicked the cork out and a spray of pink liquid rushes out of the bottle. Ryuko let’s out a yelp as the cold liquid hits her skin while Akechi grunts holding up his arm to cover his face. He moves to cover her with his body, but it doesn’t do much as it feels like a hose is spraying them with how strong the liquid hits.

It smells sweet, almost like strawberries mixed with some sort of strong alcohol and it chills Ryuko to the bone. The shadow is laughing harder now as she starts to bounce up and down excitedly. This is only stopped when Kaito some how jumps up on the slot machines, and takes hold of Shadow’s mask.

“Show your true self!!” He yells as Yusuke joins him in the fight.

Ryuko coughs and sputters as the spray stops leaving her feel like she’s been dropped in a pool. Both Akechi and she step back away from the fight knowing those two can handle it while they figure out what the hell just happened. The detective prince is no better than she is, once she takes her mask to get a better look at him. He looks like a drowned dog of sorts with the way his damp hair lays on his face and how his outfit sticks to his form.

“What the hell just happened?” She asks shaking her head, like a dog. God this stuff feels...heavier than water.

Akechi winces as a bit of liquid hits his cheeks but doesn’t back away from her. He’s examining his own outfit trying to figure out what happened himself. Bringing up his arm, he sniffs it lightly and frowns.

“It smells like champagne and unfortunately I...I have no clue.” He says with grunt, reaching around a bit to take hold of his cape awkwardly, squeezing it to get the excess whatever out of it.

“Hey are you two okay?” Futaba’s voice rings in their ears. “I didn’t even notice that shadow! I’m sorry guys I thought it was on the other side!”

“It’s okay Oracle.” Ryuko calls out, despite the annoyed grunt she hears come from Akechi. “We’re just wet...really, really wet...”

“And sticky...” Akechi hisses through his teeth as he peals his cape off his gloves. Ryuko watches as a big glob of pink goo oozes off of his hand and feels her stomach turn at the sight. The look on the detectives face says he feels the same as he shivers, shaking his hand to get more of it off.

“Ewwww...okay I’m messaging the others to meet us in the safe room up ahead. I’ll check you guys over in there, but first I’ve got to help out with the fight.”

“Got it. Just make it fast, I don’t want to get stuck to the floor here.” Ryuko requests lifting up her foot. A sticky squishy noise comes from the movement and a part of her is afraid that might just happen.

* * *

 “What the hell happened to you two?”

Takamaki Ann’s question is returned with two sharp glares from Akechi and Ryuko who are busy trying to figure out a way to dry off. Each step they make results in an oh so wonderful sticky squishy sound which is echoing around them thanks to the detective’s pacing. Ryuko has taken a seat on the table shaking her hands here and there to get the extra liquid off, but finds that she can’t.

_Slap, squeak, slap, squeak, slap, squeak…._

The stuff the shadow sprayed on them is weird...it sticks to their clothes and the ground like some sort of gooey candy but whatever landed on their skin and hair is thankfully still wet. It still smells sweet in an odd strawberry way, but there’s a hint of something else. She remembers Akechi mentioning it smells like champagne so she figures he’s probably right. Part of Ryuko is kind of curious as to what it tastes like but hesitates to even lick her lips since she has no clue what this stuff is.

_Squeak, slap, squeak slap, squeak, slap, squeak, slap, squeak..._

“A shadow sprayed us with something out of a bottle.” Ryuko says to Ann after a bit. “I don’t know what the ‘eff it is but it’s gross and smells like strawberries...”

_Slap, squeak, slap, squeak, slap…._

“Oh man...that is...kind of creepy.” Niijima Makoto says worriedly. “Do you feel weird?”

_Squeak, slap, squeak, slap, squeak, slap, squeak…_

“Other than a little gross, nah I’m good...except….” Ryuko grips her hands into fists as Akechi’s pacing echos in her ears.

_**Squeakslapsqueakslapsqueakslapsqueakslap** _

“ **Oh my god Crow stop fucking walking**!!” Ryuko screeches as she turns to glare at the young man. “You sound like some god damn cartoon and it is driving me _insane_!!”

Akechi stops mid step and narrows his eyes at ger. “Sorry...I did not mean to _annoy_ you Skull.”

“Yeah, well ya did so just stop okay? I’m just as uncomfortable as you are but pacing ain’t going to do shit...” Ryuko hisses ignoring the sarcasm in his voice.

He keeps glaring at her but softens as he crosses his arms. “You are right...I’m just very... _upset_ with this situation.”

“Me too.” Ryuko grumbles with a sigh. She tenses when she feels Yusuke poke her cheek, and slide his long finger down her cheek. With a little yell she slaps his hand away. “What the hell are you doing Fox!?”

The weird artist rubs his finger and thumb together humming to himself. When he pulls his fingers apart a thin pink string of goo connects them, making Ryuko gag a bit. That shit is on her…

“How odd, when it’s on your skin it’s liquid but the moment it touches fabric it becomes sticky.” Yusuke mumbles to himself more than to the group.

“Try having it on you, then talk to me...” Ryuko rolls her eyes. “This stuff is just...weird.”

“Well it doesn’t seem to be causing you two any harm though.” Futaba says as she finally lands in front of Ryuko.

She almost forgot that the computer nerd had been in her persona until she dropped down. Hearing her say that makes Ryuko relax a little, but keeps her on edge.

After Ryuko and Akechi both rushed to the safe room, the others joined them after a bit. Futaba summoned up her persona once more inside and quickly checked them but from the sounds of things she’s found nothing. To Ryuko, that’s kind of a good sign but she’s curious as to why the shadow would do this in the first place. Then again those things are so damn weird it’s hard to say.

“You sure they’re alright?” Kaito asks coming next to Futaba. He places a hand on the girl’s shoulder as he looks down at her.

Nodding her head as she pushes up her mask Futaba let’s out a little sigh. “Yeah, I’ve scanned them multiple times but nothing come up. All I can think is this stuff just slows you down? Like Crow was sticking to the floor pretty good there...but even then that’s super silly and something they’ve never done before.”

“So what can they do to get it off?” Ann asks standing next to Ryuko. “I mean do you think it would go away if we went back to the real world?”

“It should since this is just the metaverse.” Morgana pipes up next causing everyone to look down at the small cat. “Whatever this stuff is, it’s weird and might be something to just mess with us mentally than cause any physical harm.”

“Great…I’m going to be mean here and I’m sorry about this but Queen...your sister is so freaking weird!” Ryuko grumbles as she pulls her gloves off. They stick together making her grimace as she drops them on the table. A soggy splat fills the room as everyone stares at the yellow gloves while Ryuko just runs a wet hand through her hair. Makoto just sighs a soft but understanding sorry to the runner as she rubs her forehead.

“I know it’s not much but here! I ripped up a bit of the couch over there so you could use it’s fabric to clean up.” Okumura Haru’s soft voice reaches everyone’s ears as she comes up with a pile of fabric in her arms. She sets it on the table next to Ryuko who stares at it.

Everyone in the group but Haru looks towards the end of the room and quietly realize that she has indeed tore up one of the couches. The cushions are now bear with some fluff sticking out here and there. Personally Ryuko is a bit freaked that she didn’t hear the girl’s work but decides to put the blame on Akechi. His walking had been so loud she couldn’t even hear her own thoughts…

“Thank you Noir.” Akechi says coming up next to Ryuko. He has taken off his gloves and set them down next to Ryuko’s. “You didn’t have to do that for us….especially since you did just sacrifice a couch to do so.”

“Oh it’s nothing,” The girl says with a light laugh. “I know you both look really uncomfortable and we don’t have any towels so I figured this is the best course of action.”

“You’ve got a point there.” Ryuko says as she eyes the strips of cloth. “Thanks Noir. We both appreciate it.”

“Heehee, no problem!” Haru says with a bright smile.

Ryuko picks up a piece of cloth and starts to wipe down her short hair. It’s time like this she’s thankful for keeping it so short, finding it easier to clean. She shudders at the thought of how this would go down if she had Ann’s length.

As she works the cloth around her hair however, she finds she has to stop as it starts to get sticky like her clothing. Akechi has figured out the same problem and is staring at his own with a sneer on his lips.

The look of utter disgust is one she’s never seen on his face, and it’s a bit freaky especially since the detective always acts like he’s in control. The others don’t appear to have noticed this, and Ryuko finds herself quickly dropping her gaze back down at her hands. Quietly she decides to put this away for later and tries her best to dry her hair.

“Queen, what do you think we should do?” Kaito’s voice breaks Ryuko out of her thoughts, and finds herself looking up at him. He looks worried and is holding his chin as he always does when he’s thinking.

“To be honest Joker, I’m not really sure what to do.” Makoto crosses her arms as she tilts her head in thought. “I mean these two can’t fight like this. They’d be sticking to the floor and making so much noise all the shadows would know where we are.”

Ryuko listens to Makoto’s words s she drops a sticky cloth next to her gloves only to pick up a new one. After taking her mask off she uses this one to wipe her face, feeling a bit guilty that she’s slowing her team down. Makoto isn’t wrong, there’s no way they can fight like this and honestly part of her just wants to go home to take a shower. But they’ve made it so far in this stupid palace that it feels like it would be a waste…

“Do you think we should go home?” Kaito suggests slipping his hands into his pockets. “We’re down two team members and this palace is a bit on the tricky side.”

“ **No!** ”

Everyone blinks when Akechi and Ryuko both yell together. Looking at one another, and feeling her cheeks heat up a bit Ryuko shakes her head.

“Dude don’t quit today because we got hit.” She says quickly gripping the now sticky cloth in her hands tightly. “It would just make today be a waste of time.”

“Yes, we’ve made far to much progress to go back now.” Akechi agrees as he glances down at Ryuko.

She catches his eye, quietly realizing he’s taken off his mask as well and sees it next to her own. He looks just as guilty as she feels as he dips his head down.

“Skull and Crow have a point.” Ann says worriedly. “We can’t turn back now since we’re so close.”

“We should keep moving but...” Morgana looks up at them as Ryuko and Akechi both fidget under everyone’s stares. “What should we do with these two?”

It’s quiet for a bit as that question lingers around everyone, Ryuko feeling like the biggest idiot. She should have moved out of the way when she saw the dumb shadow or called up her persona. Instead she stupidly just stood there and waited...fuck…

“We’ll stay in this safe room.”

Akechi’s voice breaks the silence and causes everyone too look up. He’s got his hand to his chin as he tilts his head to the side a bit.

“Everyone’s right, we can’t fight but we can’t turn back for today. However we can stay in this safe room and it should be okay.” Akechi explains. “And if we’re able to fix ourselves up enough some how, we can join you again. Not to mention if you get stuck or worried about us you can always come and check up on us too.”

“That’s...not a half bad idea.” Makoto says as she thinks it over. “What do you think Joker?”

Kaito hums to himself as he shifts from one foot to the next, looking a bit uncomfortable at the idea of leaving Ryuko alone with Akechi. She’s pretty sure it’s not that he thinks she’ll blurt something out, but more along the lines she might end up beating him to death. Which is fairly possible at this point.

“I wouldn’t mind it, but how do you feel about this Skull?” He asks, which makes her smile. Always checking up and see if she’s okay...jeez Kaito is way to nice.

“I’m cool with it.” She says with a shrug of her shoulders. “I think I can stand Crow by myself for a few hours and not kill him.”

“I would certainly hope so Skull.” Akechi chuckles lightly as he pats her shoulder, making a soggy sound echo around the room. “Are you telling me my charm hasn’t won you over yet?”

“You could die in a ditch and I’d be happy for the rest of my life.” Ryuko says flatly as she checks her nails out, quietly noticing she’s got a bit of a hang nail coming up on her pinkie. It takes a bit not to gnaw at it since the pink liquid is still on her hands and she does _not_ want that stuff in her mouth.

He laughs a bit harder at that, shaking her gently. “Oh my you’re such a joker Skull!”

“Keep touching me I’ll be the one putting you in that ditch.”

She feels him freeze up as as he takes his hand back and steps away from her. The group watch the two with a nervous glint in their eyes. Well, everyone but Kaito who just shrugs his shoulders with a smile.

“They’ll be fine.”

* * *

 It’s a few minutes later that Akechi and Ryuko find themselves alone trying to clean themselves off in the safe room. Ryuko focuses on getting her face clean, and is working a little bit which makes her take off her scarf to get a bit lower. The detective prince has focused on his hair, doing his best to work out the odd liquid off while looking over at the teen sitting on the table.

It’s not like Ryuko hasn’t noticed his stare, she just finds herself mostly ignoring him, and debating if she should zip down her jacket and lift her shirt up. She wants to wipe off a bit more but on the other hand...does this outfit have underwear?

‘ _I never thought of that actually,’_ She thinks looking over her shoulder at Akechi. His back is to her and he’s busy with his belt. _‘Guess it won’t hurt to check now...’_

Part of her is pretty sure these costumes don’t come with underthings considering how Ann’s whole outfit works. Her boobs are way to much out in the open for there to be a bra under that catsuit, and given how tight her own suit is Ryuko is pretty sure she’s the same despite the support she feels. It’s similar to the sports bras she wears when working out, tight but not to constricting so she can move around without making the extra bits jiggle to much.

With these thoughts running through her head she unzips her leather jacket, shrugging it off on to the table. With a bit of a nervous twitch she pulls her long sleeve undershirt out a bit to peak down inside. She’s not surprised to see that nope...there is no bra...holy shit.

With a little squeak Ryuko let’s her shirt go crossing her arms over her chest right away and gulps nervously as she glances at Akechi over her shoulder. When he turns to glance at her she quickly looks away, and tries to act natural despite the blush on her cheeks.

‘ _Wait...if I don’t have anything...and Ann doesn’t_ _either_ _then...holy shit...’_ Her face turns a brighter red as she stares at her boots, quietly hoping Akechi didn’t hear her squeak.

“Is everything okay Skull?” He asks, a bit of concern in his voice.

Ryuko feels like rolling her eyes now because of course he heard. Trying not to sigh to much Ryuko nods her head.

“Yeah I’m fine, thanks.”

Her short words hang in the air, thick and heavy as she feels his eyes stare holes into her her back. She straightens up a bit trying to act like she doesn’t feel him looking at her but failed.

“You don’t like me much do you Skull?” Akechi asks, his voice soft.

Part of her feels a bit guilty at his tone but then she quickly reminds herself this guy is _lying_ to all of them and she grips her hands into tight fists. Ryuko’s never been one to dance around issues, finding it easier to just get it out in the open than let it hang inside of her. That’s what prompts her to answer back instead of ignoring Akechi.

“To be honest...no I don’t like you.” She says tucking a bit of wet hair behind her ear.

“Ah...I see...” She can imagine his head is hanging and he’s got that dumb sad puppy dog eyed stare going down.

Guilt eats at her and with a growl she turns around and glares at him always finding it easier to hate him when she can see his dumb pretty face...but instantly regrets when she sees him not wearing his jacket. He’s holding it out in front of himself, shaking it a bit to get the sticky goo off but finding it doesn’t work.

For some insane reason Ryuko feels her face heat up and she’s quickly turning around again and trying not to scream. With her feet up on top of a chair’s armrest her leg starts to jiggle nervously and she feels her stomach drop.

“Dude why the hell did you take your jacket off!?” She yells covering her face with her hands.

“Because it’s wet and sticky?” He points out with ease.

“W-well...shit dude warn me next time okay!” Ryuko bites back closing her eyes. “Not every day I see that...” She mumbles to herself.

A heavy air hang around them as she knows for sure Akechi heard her, and that thought makes Ryuko hide her head between her knees. Shit...why can’t she just keep her mouth shut for once in her life!? It always gets her in trouble whether it be with shitbag Kamoshida or Akechi right now!

Ryuko keeps her head down despite hearing Akechi’s sticky footsteps approach her and stop. He’s so close she can feel the heat drifting off his body and it makes her bite her lip to stay quiet.

“You know...for a girl who hangs around men a lot you sure are red Skull-chan.”

That makes her blink her eyes open and lift up her head. To her surprise he’s smirking with a hand on his hip, which makes her eyes narrow in annoyance.

“Screw you! And it’s different! Joker’s my best friend ya ass so like, it’s fine to see him shirtless!” She hisses at him trying her best to keep her eyes on his face. “And did you just call me ‘ _Skull-chan_ ’? What the hell dude?”

He laughs lightly at her words and shakes his head. “Well then it shouldn’t be any different here with me Skull-chan. We are friends right?”

“You’re not my friend.” She spits back at him.

Akechi places a hand down on the table next to her and leans a bit forward, which makes Ryuko lean back. She’s not to fond of how close he is, especially at this angle. It’s a bit to... _intimate_ for her tastes.

“Oh….then _what_ are we?” He asks gently. “Because it’s to my understanding that sometimes when a girl like yourself has feelings for someone they tend to bully them correct?”

Ryuko arches an eyebrow at him. “You and me both know that’s bullshit.”

“Hmmm….is it?” He asks leaning a bit more forward.

Ryuko leans back herself trying to get away, only to freeze when he flicks her forehead with his free hand. In an instant Akechi is standing away from her snickering to himself as she covers her forehead with her hands.

“What the…”

“I apologize Skull, I could not help myself but tease you a little.” He says covering his mouth and control his laughter. “Yes, I know well you hate me. I’m not a dense fool after all.”

Ryuko rubs her forehead with a pout, feeling a bit embarrassed that he got her in such a dumb way. Groaning she rolls her eyes and crosses her arms.

“Dude I don’t hate you...” She grumbles.

Akechi brightens up at that, looking like a puppy expecting a treat as he turns his head back with wide eyes.

“But I don’t like you.” His face falls at Ryuko’s words, which gives her a bit more joy than it should. Sighing and rubbing the back of her neck she decides to go on feeling like she has to now. “It’s just this.. _.fake shit_ you pull that pisses me off. It bugs the crap out of me that you still do it with us even when we’re supposed to be your friends. You put on this act, as if we won’t like you anymore if you were to show your true colors and to be honest that isn’t true.”

“But you already don’t like me...” Akechi points out.

“Well yeah **I** do, but I’m not everyone else. Joker likes hanging out with you and Queen’s got that weird rival thing with you. You get along fine with Oracle and Fox even though those two are the weirdest. Mona listens to you too almost as much as he does with Joker, and even Panther likes you.” Ryuko explains with a sigh knowing well all of this isn’t a lie. They all know he’s up to something and are planning a way to fight back but at the same time...everyone likes Akechi. Even she will admit that the real personality, or what parts he let’s out, are charming and kind of fun to be around.“Cut out the fake smiles and play around more like that and we’ll all be more responsive.”

He stares at her wide eyed with his lips pressed into a thin line. Ryuko keeps her eyes locked with his and feels her cheeks heat up a bit. Finally she forces herself to looks down and scratches at her cheek.

“And to be honest...I like it more too since I know how to handle you.” She admits with a shrug of her shoulders. “This fake shit just brings back to many memories that I’m not fond of.”

Akechi is quiet for a moment as he takes in her words and takes a seat next to her after he let’s out a soft hum. Ryuko looks up at him when she notices him and is surprised to see him slouched over a bit. Every time this guy has sat it’s always been straight and ridged but here he looks a bit tired.

“I apologize, it’s just this _persona_ if you will...it’s how I've learned to survive through the years.” He begins looking at his hands as he grips them into fists. “Fake smiling, talking politely and doing what adults say is just about everything I’ve learned to stay alive...I didn’t exactly have a pleasant childhood if you can’t tell by now.”

Ryuko frowns and looks up at him and notices his eyes have gone a bit blank.

“My mother...” He begins softly but stops as he bites his lip.

“Crow you don’t have to talk about it if you don’t want too,” Ryuko tells him as her stomach twists.

She doesn’t want to make him reveal his shit if he doesn’t want too. It’s really none of her business in the end and she doesn’t like making people re-live stuff. God knows she’s buried a ton of memories of her own father over the years. Hell she’s surprised she trusts Kaito and Yusuke as much as she does considering her own issues with men.

Having a drunk ass who beat your mother and yourself tends to teach a little girl not to trust men and it lingers.

“No...I’ve already shared this with Joker but for some reason I feel like I have to share it with you now.” He smiles in a sad way and closes his eyes. “My mother committed suicide when I was very young, because she had me out of wedlock and that made our life very hard. I also suspect she never really wanted me on top of some more _unpleasant_ things...but either way I’ve always known she took her life because of me. From the time I was seven until two years ago I was bounced around from foster home to foster home. During that time I found it was easier to just smile pleasantly and do what they asked. Adults only want you around when you’re not a hassle...”

He shows off one of his signature smiles that makes her heart twist a bit. Frowning and looking down at her own hands Ryuko rocks a bit. “I’m...sorry to hear about that...” She says softly. “If it makes you feel any better my father was a drunk who use to beat my mom and me until she left him. So like I have a shitty parent too and a ton of trust issues.”

Akechi is surprised by how easily she admits this and looks at her with wide eyes. “Ah...I see...you didn’t have to tell me that.”

“Nah you talked about your past so it was only fair honestly.” Ryuko says shrugging her shoulders. “Just relax a bit more...we like you for you in the end okay?”

She looks up at him to see a real, actual _smile_ spread across his lips. “Thank you, I will keep that in mind Ryu-chan.”

Ryuko blinks at that one and narrows her eyes. No one’s ever called her that like...ever. Not even Haru and she calls Makoto “Mako-chan”. Akechi nervously twitches at that and coughs awkwardly.

“I apologize if you didn’t like that nickname.” He says nervously, his cheeks a light pink.

‘ _That’s the first time I’ve seen_ _him blush.’_ She thinks to herself. _‘It’s...kinda cute.’_

“Nah don’t worry about it, I’ve had worse through the years.” Ryuko says nudging his side with her elbow. “Anyways...when the hell are you going to put your jacket back on? You’re starting to freak me out a little.”

“Probably when they come back to gather us.” Akechi admits laughing a little, clearly deciding to go along with her change of subject. “I’m surprised you haven’t tried to take off your costume yet Ryu-chan.”

“I can’t.” She sighs softly as she let’s her head fall to the side and feels close to crying. “I’m sure you noticed but...these costumes don’t have underwear.”

“They...oh.” Akechi shifts a bit in his seat, face going very red as he realizes she’s very much right. Out of the corner of her eye she notices him cough awkwardly and cross his legs. “Right you are...”

“Yeah so like unless you want me running around topless I'm stuck with soggy, sticky clothing.” Ryuko whines sadly.

“Hmm well to be honest I don’t think it there would be much of a problem.” Akechi says with a thoughtful tilt of his head. “I mean you’re fairly flat chested so-guh!”

Ryuko punches him straight in the stomach causing him to double over. “Just because I’m being nicer doesn’t mean I still won’t put you in that ditch...”

“U-understood...” Akechi groans, coughing a bit.

* * *

 “Did it just get really hot in here or is it just me?”

Ryuko feels like her skin is on fire as she pulls her shirt out a little bit and starts to fan herself. It’s at least been a half-an-hour and the strange liquid has dried on their skin despite the two’s best attempts to wipe it off. Akechi by this point has slipped his jacket back on but has kept it open.

One look at him and she can see he’s flushed as well, his cheeks a bright red that stands out against his outfit. Ryuko’s pretty sure she looks similar, and probably even brighter thanks to her much lighter hair.

All she gets from him however is a grunt and a nod, which normally would annoy her but she’s got other problems to worry about. While her clothes aren’t as sticky as before they now feel suffocating and even fanning herself isn’t helping.

Something feels _off,_ other than her body feeling close to bursting into flames. Her skin feels like it’s tingling and the smooth sensation of her costume is driving her a bit crazy. She turns and leans her hands against the table feeling a bit lightheaded as her heart starts to pound in her chest.

“I think this shit’s doing something to us.” Ryuko mumbles pressing the heal of her hand to her forehead.

“I...I think you are correct...” Akechi answers his voice soft, almost breathless. He looks at Ryuko and frowns reaching a hand out as he takes a step forward. “Ryu-chan, you look like you have a--”

Before he can say anything else Akechi stumbles, making Ryuko lunge forward to catch him. The both waver and nearly fall but with a growl the young woman pulls him back. To her surprise Akechi is a bit heavier than she expected and finds herself leaning against the table again. Only this time the detective is pressed up against her firmly with most of his weight.

Ryuko swallows thickly as Akechi places his hands on the table behind her and quietly realizes he’s way taller than she first thought. His eyes are a bit dull as he looks down at her, darting from her lips to her eyes until finally settling on her forehead.

“S-sorry...” He mummers, as he reaches up to brush her bangs from her forehead. “Ryu-chan you’re sweating...and your forehead is hot...”

His hand presses gently against her forehead, but instead of being cool it feels just the same as her own skin. To her surprise however, instead of feeling gross or heavy her forehead tingles pleasantly at his touch.

“You a-aren’t doing much better...” Ryuko says her vision going a bit hazy. She blinks rapidly trying to clear it but finds nothing helps. Licking her lips she just barely notices Akechi’s panting. “Akechi you’re kinda panting...”

“It appears that I am...” He closes his eyes for a moment, only to open them to show his pupils have dilated.

Ryukio reaches out and takes hold of Akechi’s jacket pulling him a bit closer which he easily leans into. In the back of her head she thinks to herself that this guy is looking a lot better than before. She always thought Akechi has a weirdly cute face but never would admit it to anyone. Now...she can kind of see why some girls go crazy over him and feels her heart skip a beat at that thought.

Slowly his hand moves from her forehead to cup her cheek with his thumb rubbing across her lips. His face scrunches up as he bites his own as if something weird has just crossed his mind and his ears have turned a bright red.

“Ryu-chan...” His voice is softer as he presses his thumb against her lips once more, swiping across her lower lip gently causing Ryuko to shudder at the touch. It makes her lips feel hotter than the rest of her body as a burning knot settles in her lower stomach. “I think I want to kiss you...and I don’t know why.”

Ryuko is quiet for a moment as she takes in his words staring straight in to his eyes. They click inside her brain and it feels like her heart is going to burst through her chest.

“Okay.”

Without hesitating she pulls on his jacket, leaning up to catch his lips in a kiss.

Akechi yelps against her mouth in surprise as their teeth clack against one another when they hit, and their noses bump painfully. The actual kiss only lasts for a second before they both turn breaking it to cover their noses. Despite the pain and the awkwardness Ryuko finds her lips are tingling pleasantly as she presses them together. Akechi on the other hand licks his, looking thoughtful for a moment before turning back to her.

“Attempt number two?” He asks gently tilting his head.

Feeling her heart jump at the suggestion Ryuko pulls on his jacket a bit. “Go for it dude.”

Despite the little cringe from her words Akechi leans down, as Ryuko tilts her head up. This time their lips meet gently, no bumping noses, or teeth clacking against one another just a soft kiss. It makes that knot in her lower stomach clench tighter and burn hotter, making Ryuko want more.

She pulls him closer as her arm wrapping around his neck as her tongue darts out to lick his lips. By this point his hand has moved to the back of her neck holding her still. Their kiss deepens when she opens his mouth and his tongue pushes in, making Ryuko’s chest tightens pleasantly.

Outside of a quick kiss in middle school Ryuko’s never actually gone this far before. Akechi’s movements are shy but full of passion as he moves his tongue against hers while she’s a bit more adventurous pushing back against his. He tastes like the bitter coffee she’s seen him drink at LaBlanc and for once she doesn’t want it to go away.

Still kissing him messily Ryuko let’s go of his jacket and neck, placing her hand on the table to lift herself up to sit on it. Their noses bump during this, but neither stop while Akechi just moves closer panting against her lips. He’s between her legs now his hand on her neck slides down to her shoulders where he holds her. His other slides up her thigh, squeezing her ass when he stops while she wraps her arms around his neck once more.

Akechi licks her lips, giving her a gentle kiss before he pulls back trying to get more air in his lungs while Ryuko kisses his cheek. This is followed by his chin, then his neck where she starts to nip gently and sucks at his skin. His grip on her hip tightens as she sucks, nips and bites at this particular spot, making Akechi shudder against her. He’s frozen there, caught up in the sensations as Ryuko has her fun with making him squirm.

By the time she’s done there’s a sizable purple mark on his neck, that she is rather proud of despite him being able to hide it with his hair. Shivering as his fingers rub against the hickey gently, Akechi closes his eyes while Ryuko tugs at his jacket. She barely notices the hungry look in his eyes when they open, licking his lips as she tries to get him to work with her.

“Jacket needs to come off now,” She grunts, finally getting him to move. The stupid thing falls to the floor, which makes her grin taking in all the skin she can. “Now that’s way better.”

Akechi cups her face and moves forward, kissing her again with more force than before. Ryuko easily pushes back moaning against his mouth as his chest presses against her own. He dominates her during the kiss, never giving her a break as his tongue pushes against hers, making her her lungs burn for air. In control as always, he breaks this one, his teeth biting into her lower lip as he pulls away leaving her own tingling. With a determined glint in his eyes Akechi begins to pull at her belt, desperate to take it off next.

His struggle makes Ryuko slip off the table, standing up to make it easier to click it off. It clangs to the floor making both of them wince at the noise. The sharp sound makes things swirl in her head, and an odd nagging feeling that something is off settles just above the red haze of her mind. Shaking her head, Ryuko pushes Akechi back a little and turns her back to him to lean her hands on the table.

“W-wait...” She stutters shaking her head. “S-something ain’t right.”

Her head swirls more as the thought of something being off lingers, making her squint down at the table. The red haze makes it hard so hard to focus and she finds herself still panting despite doing her best to calm her breathing. That hot twisting feeling in her lower stomach burns hotter as she closes her eyes, making her feel as if she needs... _something_.

Her entire body shutters as Akechi presses himself up against her back, and Ryuko finds herself whining as something shifts into place inside of her, letting the red haze take over. His hot breath tingles against her neck as he nips at her sensitive skin, while his hands slide down her arms, only to cover her own at the end. She can feel his erection pressing up against her ass which makes an odd little thrill run down her spine.

This...this is the start of what she needs. Him against her body, and touching her let’s something relax but only intensifies the fire already burning in side. Opening her eyes she grips her hands into fists and presses herself against Akechi, earning herself a moan that rumbles in her ears.

She needs something _more_.

“Fuck...” Ryuko hisses. “A-Akechi...”

“Yes?” He whispers in her ear, making her wiggle at the feeling.

“I-I..I need you to _touch_ me..” Ryuko asks trying her best not to sound desperate but failing.

She hears him swallow thickly, a gap in his panting that only lasts for a moment. “Alright...then _b_ _eg me to touch you_.”

Ryuko’s brain fizzles at the sound of his voice feeling a bit of defiance welling up inside of her. She shifts her hips, rubbing herself against him once more. Akechi grunts but doesn’t move making her curse inwardly at how much self control this guy still has even now.

“Oh come on...” She whines trying to move again. Ryuko is only stopped when he places a strong hand on her hip. “Don’t make me...I know you need something too since I can feel ya pokin' me back there.”

“Beg.” He says once more, his hand on her hip slips under her shirt, gently caressing her stomach. Ryuko’s breath hitches at the feeling as his soft finger tips dance their way up her hot skin, just stopping under her breasts. “I need to hear you say you want me _Ryuko_.”

His light touches are driving her crazy as he takes his time to slide his hand across her heated skin. He comes close to her breasts but never touching them, while his other hand joins, this time going lower by skimming the top of her pants. He’s driving her crazy and he knows it which makes this all the more frustrating.

“God damn it….” She hisses letting her head hang. “You’re such an ass!”

“I know I am.” He whispers in her ear, chuckling gently. “That’s why I _want_ you to beg me.”

Ryuko closes her eyes in frustration, trying to ignore his hands touching her everywhere but what she needs. He’s so close but at the same time so far away, but even then her hard head makes it hard for her to break. This makes Akechi roll his eyes as he shifts behind her, getting impatient with her stubbornness.

“I can give you what you need and want.” He tells her with ease. “Let me give you a taste, Ryuko.”

His hands slide up her stomach and ghost over her breasts with a feather light touch that makes Ryuko moan. She tires to push into his hands but the they are quickly back down at her stomach, lightly scratching at her skin.

“Feels good right? I know it’s what you want.” Akechi kisses the back of her neck gently, making her shiver at the feeling. “You know what I want to hear, so just say it and I’ll do whatever you want.”

She feels like her entire body is going to catch on fire at his touch and finds herself breaking, Ryuko can’t take it anymore...she needs him to touch her.

‘ _He’s gotta be pure evil I swear...’_ Ryuko thinks as her head hangs a little, letting him pepper her neck with soft kisses. She lets out a soft sigh as she opens her mouth, promising to herself to get back at him some way.

“P-Please...” She says her fingernails scratching at the table. Akechi sucks gently at her earlobe making her moan. “P-please, I n-need you to t-touch me...Akechi.”

She can feel it in the pit of her stomach that she really will regret those words later, getting a feeling in her gut that he’ll tease her about it endlessly. To her surprise she feels a chuckle vibrate against her back, his hand sliding up to give her breasts another ghost of a touch. Ryuko let’s out a little cry arching her back again in another sad attempt to get more, but he’s just as fast as before and his hand is gone leaving her groaning.

“Are you kidding me!?” She yells slamming her hand on the table, feeling frustration start to mix with the heat. Suddenly punching Akechi sounds ten times better and more satisfying. “I said what you wanted!!”

“Goro...I want you to say my name.” His voice is light as he presses a kiss to her head. “Beg me with my name and I’ll do whatever you want Ryuko~”

He takes his time to say her name, causing an odd little shiver to go down her spine. But with the fire in her veins and him beginning to fuss with her pants makes Ryuko quickly decides to throw out her pride.

She’ll figure out a way to get back at him anyways...

With a shaky deep breath Ryuko groans, more annoyed than anything. “Fiiiiine...but I’ll get you back for this!”

Akechi chuckles at her words as he peaks over her shoulder to unbutton her pants, followed by pulling on her zipper. That sound makes her gulp and she can feel the heat of his hand hovering over that particular part of her body. She wants to push into it, but knows he’ll just move his hand.

“I can work with that.” Ryuko twitches at his words as she leans over more, wanting to hide her face in her arms. “So...what’s it going to be Ryuko?”

She’s quiet for a moment biting her lip until she let’s out a sigh.“P-please...touch me G-Goro.”

“Gladly.”

Akechi’s hand comes up and cups her breasts, squeezing gently while his thumb rubs her nipple. Ryuko gasps at the touch, leaning into it and whining when he pinches. Pleasure and pain mix together as her nails scratch at the table again as her mind blurs into a hot mess. Her body jerks when his fingers slip into her pants and rub her wet slit.

She did not realize how wet she is until he touched her, but finds she can’t linger on it. Ryuko’s mind is to focused on how _good_ it feels to have him touch her there, moaning at his teasing touches. He’s kissing at her neck now, and bites when he slides a finger into her. She doesn’t bother holding back any of the noises escaping her lips, and moves her hips with Akechi’s finger as he pumps it.

“G-Goro...” She groans as he adds a second finger, and squeezes her eyes shut when his thumb finds her clit. “Oh fuck...”

“You’re so loud...” Akechi sighs this as he grinds up against her, his entire body shivering.

“S-screw yo-ahh!” Ryuko yells out when his fingers rub something inside her that makes her toes curl in as a white hot pleasure floods her nerves.

The hot knot in her stomach tightens at each touch and Ryuko finds her mind going blank. She’s way to close, and it feels like fire is pumping through her vein while his touches fuel the flames.

Akechi rubs her clit and in a blink of an eye Ryuko’s vision goes white and cries out as she comes. Her body tenses for a mind numbing second before relaxing, leaving her feeling exhausted but satisfied.

She barely notices Akechi taking his fingers out of her gently, seeing as she’s found herself focusing on not falling face first on the table. Her arms shake as she tires to keep herself up but they buckle. She catches herself and gives up, quietly laying down against the cool surface. Akechi’s hand is on her back keeping her bent over while his other holds her hips and keeps her legs from going out on her.

Her body is sluggish as she pushes herself up on her forearms, feeling like her entire body is made out of jello. Even then however her skin feels like it’s on fire, and feels that hot twist in her lower stomach coming back. Ryuko squeezes her eyes shut when she the heat settles inside her with vengeance, almost feeling like she’s on the brink again.

What the hell...she just came so why does her body feel so hot?

Akechi’s moving behind her, his hand sliding down her back slowly until it reaches her pants and starts to tug them down a bit more. Ruko’s only half aware by this point when she hears Akechi fiddling with his pants and takes a step back away from her, stopping at undoing his belt. He pauses, running his hands through his hair as he crouches down for a second, looking close to loosing it.

It’s so weird to see him pulling at his hair and makes her wonder what the heck is wrong with him. When he shoots back up, his eyes glint in a crazy way that makes Ryuko gulp. But at the same time she finds she can’t look away, really liking how out of sorts he is compared to his usual composed nature.

The detective says something that Ryuko doesn’t catch as her brain rolls things over and her eyes staring straight back into his still. He says it again, which makes her blink and shake her head to clear her brain, and looks up at him.

Red in the face and looking like he wants to go hide some where, Akechi looks away from her after their eyes connect. The timid expression his face is a bit more attractive than Ryuko’s comfortable admitting, even to herself. Maybe it’s the way he looks away from her, his free hand on his face trying to hide the blush. It makes him look more vulnerable, and less stuck up.

Then again even with her foggy brain she realizes it’s a bit hard to look stuck up with a tent in his pants like his.

“I’m sorry, what did you say?” She asks catching his eyes again.

“I-I was just saying...” Akechi’s voice is shaky as he closes his eyes, very clearly looking like he’s going to regret his words. “I need to-no...I want to be _with_ you...”

Ryuko continues to stare at him, her brain working overtime to put meaning to his words. After a minute they finally click, and thus makes a few gears in her head turn as an idea comes to life. A little smirk spreads across her lips, which turns into a grin as for once her brain has come up with a _g_ _reat_ idea.

“So you wan to fuck me then?” She asks tilting her head, as she starts to snicker a bit.

The little squeak and jump that comes from the detective is probably far to satisfying for her to hear to be healthy, but Ryuko doesn’t care. Seeing the fast little nod from him and hearing the soft yes makes this all the better.

“Alright...then I want you to beg for it.” Ryuko’s heart jumps a bit at the surprised, almost offended look Akechi gets when he hears her words. His head snapped so fast to glare at her she’s pretty surprised he doesn’t have whiplash.

“ _E-excuse me_?” He asks, almost spiting out his words.

“You heard me. I want you to _beg_ to fuck me.” Ryuko tells him, briefly wondering where the hell this kind of confidence came from. Maybe it’s just Akechi because she’s pretty sure if any other person was in front of her she’d be a sputtering dead mess. With him it’s easy to press his buttons and not feel a lick of embarrassment. “I mean it’s only fair don’t you think? You made me beg too...told ya I’d get back at you.”

He twitches at that and closes his eyes as he takes another step back away from her. “That you did...”

Akechi hesitates turning his head away as he clearly weighs everything down in his mind. Even with all this waiting around Ryuko can see his cock is painfully hard with one quick glance. When she looks back up he still has his eyes closed, and his cheeks are a brighter red.

“Well do you want to do it or not?” Ryuko urges, making him jump at her yell. “We don’t have all day _Goro_.”

There is a huge chance the others can walk in on them at any second. This is already embarrassing enough...she’d just die if the others knew about this. And given the nasty look he shoots her way she’s pretty sure Akechi feels the same.

He sighs almost dramatically, and runs a hand through his hair. With his eyes staring a hole into the ground Akechi presses his lips into a thin line and shrugs his shoulders. A smile appears on his lips as he laughs out loud shaking his head and making Ryuko jump a bit.

Finally it calms down and his head hangs a bit while the smile stays there as he locks eyes with her. “You’re a lot more clever than I give you credit you know Ryuko?”

Ryuko narrows her eyes. “Yeah well, maybe you’re not as smart as you think you are huh?”

Despite this his smile drops when he opens his mouth, then shuts it as he clearly struggles to find the right words. Then finally he locks eyes with her, looking determined. It makes her lick her lips as her heart beats faster.

“Ryuko...can...can I please...” He stumbles over his words swallowing thickly as he pauses. Almost sneering at at the words he’s using, Akechi opens his mouth once more. “Can I please... _fuck you_.”

Her eyes widen in surprise at hearing him actually say it, and wonders what it says about herself to find it a bit hotter than she originally planned. All she wanted to do was tease him, not get turned on more. Smiling a little she motions for him to come a bit closer, which he easily does and leans down.

Ryuko pulls him into a kiss, a bit softer than their previous but still full of passion. Her hands slowly trail down his chest, making him shiver. She takes her time, thumbs brushing across his nipples before slowly trailing down to his pants. Akechi is panting harder than before by the time she squeezes him, making him jerk and cry out.

She unbuttons his pants, taking her time to slowly pull his zipper down and frees his erection. Akechi groans at the feeling, while Ryuko stares with hungry eyes. She isn’t exactly shy when it comes to her porn consumption and it isn’t like she hasn’t seen an erect dick before now, and feels a bit silly at her stomach doing flip flops.

Well…. she hasn’t seen a _real_ one at least, and hearing Akechi moan as she slides a finger from the tip of his down to the base is a new thing for her.

“You can t-touch me...” Akechi says, his hand wrapping around hers and pulling it forward. He leans down to her ear, his breath tickling her skin lightly “Please touching me Ryuko.”

Feeling her stomach flutter she averts her eyes...only for a second before she’s wraps a hand around him, feeling a bit dirty for doing so. He groans at her touch, his hips jerking a bit.

‘ _And he just got me off with this fingers so like...yeah...’_ Ryuko thinks, kicking herself for feeling shy over this. _‘_ _I can touch him too_ _.’_

She starts to move her hand up and down, pumping him slowly while Akechi whines. He tries his best to keep any noise from escaping his lips but it’s useless. Precum leaks out of the tip as she swipes her thumb over the tip, making him moan. His hand lands on the table next to her for support, while he presses himself against her hand more.

Ryuko pulls him into another kiss, their breaths mingling as she brushes her tongue against his. It’s slower than before, with her taking time to really get to know his mouth while she touches him. Finally he grunts, and lays his free hand on top of hers making her stop. Akechi is the first to pull away his eyes still a bit hazy as before.

“A-a-anymore and I’ll...” He turns away as the swallows trying to get control of himself. “A-anymore and I’ll be finished...”

“That isn’t such a bad thing...all you’d have to do is beg to fuck me again and we’d be square.” Ryuko grins at him as he pulls her hand off of his cock.

Akechi rolls his eyes, but is smiling none the less. He chuckles at her shaking his head as presses his lips against her forehead. “You are such a vulgar girl.”

“Yeah, yeah whatever...” Ryuko rolls her eyes, blushing a bit. “Just _do it_ already...”

He sighs as he moves back to give Ryuko some room.

“As you wish.”

He pushes Ryuko gently, making her turn and bend over the table. She shivers at her position, that dirty feeling crawling back up at this but finds it a bit thrilling still. Akechi’s warm hand slowly trails down her back before moving around to her stomach and then lower. His finger tips tease her wet core, making her groan at the touch. It’s brief however and Ryuko is left waiting for more with her heart thumping in her ears.

Slowly, Akechi presses his cock into her, making a moan escape her lips.

Her body tenses, making her shudder at the feeling being filled oh so nicely. It doesn’t hurt like she’d heard it did, despite there being a bit of a stretch. Akechi freezes when he’s all the way inside, with his hips against her ass. Ryuko can feel his body shaking a sign of him barely keeping control of himself. Wiggling her hips a bit makes him hiss and take hold of them to stop her.

“D-does it hurt?”

“No.”Ryuko shakes her head right away, seeing the now familiar red haze as she gets use to the feeling him throb inside her. “I-I’m okay...I swear I am.”

“Good...I’m going to start moving now.”

With that said Ryuko’s eye’s squeeze shut as he slowly pulls out of her, only to quickly thrust back in. She cries out at that one, only to gasp as he does it again, and pleasure floods her mind. It takes a bit but soon Akechi picks up his pace as his hips get the hang of the new motion.

Ryukio is far from quiet as he fucks her, keeping his grip on her hips firm. It drives her crazy that she can’t move them, wanting to meet his thrusts desperately. She finds herself whimpering at his hands keeping her in place, wishing he’d let go already.

This has to be revenge for making him beg, especially since it fits him in the end. He always has to be in control...

She barely notices the bit of pain each time she hits the table, to far gone as she drowns in pleasure. The sound of skin hitting skin fills the air, mingling with Akechi’s and her own moans as sweat starts to cover their bodies. Ryuko scratches at the table when he slides his hand between her legs and finds her clit. Rubbing gently, pleasure starts to spike in her more and she feels herself getting closer to loosing it once again.

Akechi’s thrusts start to get erratic, faster and harder with each passing second as he grips her hip harder. She’s sure there’s going to be bruises there in the morning, mixing with the ones from the table.

Despite this, she feels the hot knot in her lower stomach start to burn harsher, as it tightens. Ryuko becomes louder as he starts to fuck her harder, as his name escapes her lips like a chant.

The tight knot snaps inside making her orgasm flood over her in a flash as Ryuko closes her eyes crying out loud. Her body goes limp as it finally relaxes, her face pressing against the cool table.

She feels him thrust into her a few more times and stills, coming inside of her before collapses against her.

Ryuko’s keeps her eyes closed, her entire body feeling to damn heavy to do anything. Doesn’t help Akechi’s sweaty body is on top of her as well panting just as hard as she is. With his head tucked next to hers his hot breath hits her cheek, while she feels him twitch inside of her still.

Her body begins to cool down after a few minutes, as the air in the safe room turns cold again and makes her shiver. She moves just a bit, groaning at Akechi’s dead weight but doesn’t find it to be uncomfortable really. It’s just there in a sense, and it’s oddly comforting to have him pressed up against her still.

Akechi let’s out a little hum, shifting just enough to remind her again that he’s inside of her still. She feels his hot breath leave her cheek as he lifts his head, making her miss the warmth.

In a blink of an eye Akechi’s entire body goes ridge against Ryuko and in a flash Akechi shoves himself off of her. He yelps as he lands on the floor with a loud thud that echos around them. Blinking she pushes herself up on shaky legs and turns around to lean against the table.

On the floor Akechi’s eyes are wide, and has gone completely pale. Ryuko stares at him as if he’s grown another head and quickly sneers at him. She opens her mouth to ask him what his problem is then stops.

Her stomach drops when she feels something dribble down her leg and the last few minutes slam into her like a truck.

Ryuko instantly shuts her mouth and covers it with a hand, and stares right back at him with wide eyes. She looses her balance and falls to the floor on her ass, but her eyes never move from his. He looks just as horrified, with his mouth open in a silent scream.

‘ _ **I just had sex with Akechi** …. **I made Akechi beg to fuck me**... **I begged him**...’_

All those thoughts swarm around her head as her face turns a hot red and she feels a scream bubbling up. Quickly she slaps her other hand over her mouth but it doesn’t stop anything. With her eyes closed she screams into her hands, muffling the sound only slightly but enough so no one else will hear it.

_What the fuck just happened!!??_

* * *

A few minutes later, after cleaning herself up with thankfully the few remaining pieces of couch cloth Ryuko finds herself glaring at Akechi. She’d watch him mechanically move about, cleaning himself and putting his jacket back on, barely blinking. He never said a word, or even looked at her as he did his thing, making a part of her furious.

The other part is so damn embarrassed by what happened, and she’s pretty sure Akechi’s feeling the same kind of burn.

She hates this guy...so why did she suddenly want to fuck him so bad just a bit ago?

‘ _Had to be that pink shit.’_ Ryuko thinks kicking a chair so hard it tumbles to the floor. She’s not surprised to see Akechi not react to the noise. He doesn’t even flinch as the chair skids across the floor and hits his feet. He just sits there on the couch his eyes hidden by his mask and hair.

It’s so _frustrating_ that she can’t tell what he’s thinking and feels like she’s going to scream again. But instead she stomps over to the chair, picks it up and slams the thing on the ground. With grunt she flops down in it, wincing at the slight pain in her hips but ignores it. Slouching down in it she crosses her arms and glares straight ahead at Akechi who does nothing.

And this is how they sit for who knows how long. Ryuko’s not going to talk, especially since this guy hasn’t even made a _sound_. Or hell... _moved._ He’s like a robot sitting there, hunched over with his hands under his chin as he leans his elbows on his legs. That has to hurt to sit in that position for so long or something…

Now she’s starting to get a bit creeped out as she shifts herself, unsure of really how to handle..anything at the moment. Her brain is probably as fizzed out as Akechi’s but at least she’s acting like a _human_. At the same time however….

She had sex with Akechi.

Bent over a table taken from _behind_ sex with Akechi Goro.

Akechi Goro…

The Detective Prince.

The guy clearly going to _fuck_ them over somehow but they don’t know how yet.

She had sex with this guy. _Holy shit she had sex with this guy and it was her first god damn time!!_

Ryuko slides further down in her chair letting out a noise that sounds close to a whine but is mixed with a groan. All she wants to do is go somewhere and hide, and never come out. Dying suddenly sounds like a fun time since then she won’t have to face her friends and know deep in side she had this guy beg her to let him fuck her.

‘ _Fuck my life.’_ Ryuko thinks as her eyes close.

A heavy silence falls over them, feeling like a soft blanket to Ryuko. It’s oddly peaceful compared to the events just a bit ago, and she feels herself start to drift off a bit. Even with her anger, exhaustion has started to take over as her eye lids get heavy. She blinks, trying her best to stay away, but soon she looses and her eyes close.

Only to jump out of her skin when the safe room door slams open and their teammates rushes in.

“Heeeey!! We decided it’s time to call it a day so...whoa...what happened here?”

Ann’s words echo in the safe room as Ryuko jumps up from her seat standing a bit straighter than she meant. For the first time since the... _incident_...Akechi actually moves, his head tilting up to look at everyone who’s come in.

“Hey guy! And ahhh...n-nothing really happened. Just argued and shit.” Ryuko says quickly coming closer to Ann. “So like...how did things go for you guys?”

Kaito looks between her and Akechi, an eyebrow arched at her. Nervously Ryuko crosses her arms, tilting her head down so to hide her blush.

“Nothing much really went down, we got a bit closer to the treasure.” Kaito says eyeing Ryuko with a nervous glint. “But we decided to call it a day since it felt wrong not having you two along. So are you both ready to go home? It looks like that stuff dried up there but I I can’t imagine you want to stay here any longer.”

Ryuko blinks and is suddenly very happy Kaito’s so good at reading people. Smiling a bit she shrugs her shoulders. “O-Oh yeah, it dried after a while but I still feel a bit gross even with it gone! Maaan, I am more than ready to go home to be honest. After being stuck in here with Akechi for so long I felt like I was going to go crazy!”

“Yes, I too would like to go back.” Akechi’s voice makes her jump and turn to see him standing next to her. He looks straight at Kaito who stares back with the same smile he gave Ryuko. “I just received a message and unfortunately something has come up so I have to leave.”

Kaito looks between Ryuko and Akechi his smile dropping a bit as he shrugs his shoulders.

“I understand Akechi, it’s no problem since we’re done for today. Everyone else ready to go home?” Kaito asks the group.

He gets a resounding yes from just about everyone but Morgona who is standing there. The little cat creature starts to sniff the air and frowns at whatever he finds.

“It...kinda smells weird in here.” Morgana says making a chill go down Ryuko’s spine.

Everyone stares at the cat before they start to sniff the air besides Ryuko and Akechi who’s head is tilted down. Out of the corner of her eye she sees Akechi is standing stiff looking just as uncomfortable as she does.

“I guess it kinda does...” Ann says frowning. “Maybe it’s that stuff that got on Akechi and Ryuko? I mean it smelled like champagne before so like who knows how it started smell once it started to dry...right guys?”

Ryuko jumps on that nodding her head, and laughing a bit as she does so. “Oh yeah this stuff is just smelling something super weird! Let’s get out of here so I can get back to my normal clothes please? Kinda of really tired of being sticky ya know?”

“...I bet. C’mon guys it’s time to go home.” Kaito says, his gaze lingers on Ryuko, before moving to Akechi who’s is still refusing to look at the girl. He says nothing more, which makes her sigh in relief and follow after him when he turns to leave.

Out of the corner of her eye she sees Akechi stand back, before joining the others, being the last one to leave the room. She knows he’s staying as far away from her as he can and a part of her is totally fine with that and would like to keep it that way.

The sting the other part of her gets with his distance however, is confusing the shit out of her.

* * *

 Ryuko runs down the busy street with ease, dodging people as she heads towards the clinic in Kaito’s neighborhood. After they left the palace Akechi just about ran away from them, saying a quick goodbye with a forced smile. It pissed her off to see him leave like that, a part of her wanting to talk to him about...something. But at the same time good riddance. She’s got other shit to work on anyways.

Which is why she finds herself rushing towards the clinic.

Ryuko hadn’t been much better with her own retreat, saying goodbye quickly and then running off. She took the longer route to get to Kaito’s neighborhood despite this, not wanting to run into him with Morgana considering what she needs here. Honestly part of her just wants to go home and forget all of this but Ryuko isn’t that dumb.

Having unprotected sex is kind of a stupid move that calls for emergency contraception.

Her face burns at the thought but shoves it down, knowing she can’t let her embarrassment get the better of her. She can _not_ get pregnant because of some stupid pink goo made her horny. God she can already imagine what everyone would say about her mom if that happened.

“ _What do you expect with a single mother? Her daughter was bound to end up a slut without her father around.”_

“ _Didn’t she get in trouble with one of her teachers too? I’m not surprised she ended up pregnant.”_

“ _I bet she doesn’t even know who the father is...”_

Those made up words echo in Ryuko’s brain as she pushes herself forward groaning loudly. It’s bad enough she had sex with Akechi...she can’t imagine what would happen if she ended knocked up with his kid. Hell, her being a mom sounds like it would be a nightmare...she’d just mess up the kid.

That thought scares her a bit more than it should but it’s the last one she has as she comes to a stop in front of the clinic. She’s only been here twice with Kaito over the past year, both being quick stops to load up on some medicine before running to Memento’s. She remembers the doctor who runs it being nice though. Even if a bit odd with her clothing and words.

With a nervous gulp, and happy to see it’s still open, Ryuko pulls the door open and heads inside.

The door jingles a bit, and closes with a click once she let’s it go. Inside her eyes wander around the small clinic, looking for the doctor and feeling her stomach drop when Ryuko sees she’s not at the front desk.

‘ _Shit...what if she’s here with someone?’_ Ryuko thinks with a nervous twitch. _‘What if it’s someone Kaito knows in the neighborhood? What if they told him I’m here...’_

Fear eats at her, and makes her tun around and head for the door. Fuck it, she’ll just figure out something else--

“Sorry for the wait I was cleaning up—oh. Hello there. You’re Chiba-kun’s friend correct?”

The light voice makes Ryuko inhale sharply and turn around to look at the older woman. Tilting her head to the side Dr. Takemi stares at the teenager in her clinic. With a red face and a nervous twitch Ryuko stares back with her mouth opening and closing like a fish.

“You _are_ his friend...what can I do to help you? Are you here to buy some medicine?” she asks.

“Umm….Yeah! Yeah I’m here for that.” Ryuko quickly nods her head, as her hands slip into her skirts pockets.

Takemi watches for a moment before shrugging her shoulders, smiling a bit as she goes back into the other room and reappears behind the counter. She sits down at her seat and looks at Ryuko expectantly.

“So what can I help you with today?” she asks watching the girl come closer.

Quietly, Ryuko lays her hands on the counter feeling the cool material under her fingertips as her heart beats rapidly in her chest. She’s here...now, how does she ask for this shit?

Freezing and staring at her hands like an idiot Ryuko discovers in the first time in a long time she has no words. She’s completely out of them and she feels like puking.

Sure the pink goop was gone when they made it back to the real world, but her hips still hurt and she still feels exhausted. That meant she still had sex and needed this emergency contraception shit even if she wanted to run away.

Ryuko lost her track scholarship last year, but still wanted to go to college for something. Her mom has saved up a bit for it after all, so it’d be a waste if she didn’t go.

She can’t get pregnant...she just can’t.

Feeling her cheeks burn Ryuko squeezes her eyes shut and let’s out a shaky breath.

“I-I...I n-need s-some...” She opens her eyes and stares at her hands again as she grips them into tight fists. Taking a few deep breaths and letting them out slowly Ryuko discovers...she feels exactly the same. “Shit...s-sorry...I just...this is super awkward for me so I am really sorry.”

“Awkward? What would be awkward with asking for some medicine?” Takemi leans forward a bit, frowning at the red, nervous look that’s on the girls’ face. “Are you okay?”

“Yeah...I mean...kinda...honestly no. No I am not okay.” Ryuko let’s out a sigh and covers her face with her hand as she leans forward. “Look I-I had...” swallowing and closing her eyes Ryuko groans. “I had sex with my _boyfriend_ today...” God she wants to puke at calling Akechi her boyfriend but she continues despite the gag that pops up. “A-and the-the c-c-c-condom broke!”

Takemi is silent as she listens to the girls made up story, slowly nodding her head understandingly. Ryuko is thankful for her silence and the non judgmental stare she’s leveling at her. It makes things a little easier despite her fumbling over her words and feign like an idiot.

“And I...I heard that th-this place would be a good spot to get...emergency contraception...” Ryuko finishes and closes her eyes. “Please tell me I’m right...”

Takemi is quiet as she shifts in her seat making Ryuko a bit nervous. She hears the woman moving around but doesn’t dare open her eyes. Her face burns as she feels her stomach twist so sure this lady is going to kick her out for this request.

Her heart jumps up into her throat whens he hears Takemi set down something in front of her making her her eyes pop open. Looking down she’s a bit surprised to see a box with a cup of water next to it and glances up at Takemi, who’s leaning over on the counter. She taps her finger on the box.

“You’ll take this.” She starts off, as she picks up the box. Takemi rips it open, and takes out a little sliver thing that she slides towards Ryuko who notices the pill is inside that. “This is the strongest I have, but if you’re already pregnant it won’t work.”

“Um...okay.” Ryuko says nodding her head as she listens.

“Now there are some side effects that may happen with this. The most common are headache, nausea, dizziness, feeling a bit tired, stomach pain, and menstrual pain. If you have anything worse than that you call me and I will come and get you but I doubt you will.” Takemi says with ease. “From what I can tell you are a very healthy and athletic girl. The worst you might get is probably the most horrible period you’ll ever have, and it will knock off your cycle.”

“O-okay...” Ryuko takes the silver tab and rips it open taking out the pill. It’s tiny in her hand making her gulp and wonder how this little thing will make it so she won’t get knocked up.

The magic of modern medicine...

With a deep breath she pops the pill into her mouth and grabs the cup. She gulps it down, making sure to drink it all.

For the first time in hours her heart finally settles down, and she feels like she can actually relax. “Um...thank you sensei. I _really_ appreciate this.”

“It’s no problem. You’re clearly scared, and panicked...I wouldn’t turn anyone away in your situation.” Takemi’s voice is soft suddenly as she leans a bit over. “If you want I’ll come you to report _him_ to the police.”

Ryuko blinks at her suggestion and tilts her head confused by her words. “What?”

Frowning and still looking absolutely serious Takemi sits up a bit straighter. “Chiba-kun talks about you a lot Sakamoto-chan, correct?” Ryuko nods her head confused by this turn of events. “He’s mentioned multiple times you do not have a boyfriend. So I thought...”

Ryuko is red in the face again as she shakes her head. “Ohhh no. No, no, no, no nope! I was not...nope that did not happen I swear and I’m not lying. Things just kind of...happened. And I wanted it, he wanted it and I just...shit happened.”

For a second she looks doubtful but let’s out a sigh of relief as she stands up. Ryuko watches her slip her hands into her pockets and smile a bit.

“Well...I’m happy to hear that part then.” Takemi says shrugging her shoulders. “You take care now then. If you have any problems come see me and I’ll help you.”

“Y-yeah...I will...thank you again Sensei I really appreciate this like I said...” Ryuko repeats, feeling close to crying from relief. She knows there’s a chance this won’t work, but at the same time, god does she feels better. So much has lifted off her shoulders thanks to the stupid little pill...now she can at least try to sleep without worrying about making life worse for her mom.

Blinking she realizes she has to pay the lady still. “Oh that reminds me, how much do I owe you?”

“Nothing.” Takemi says shaking her head. “It’s on the house don’t worry about it.”

“Ahh...but I--”

“You’re a panicked sixteen year-old girl who made a mistake. I’m not going to charge you for that.” Takemi explains with ease. “I’d rather help you than take advantage of you.”

Ryuko feels her cheeks heat up as her eyes sparkle at the doctor. “Oh wow...you are a really freaking cool lady...”

Takemi snorts at that and shakes her head. “No, I’m just doing my job. Now you better get going and head home since it’s getting late.”

She waves her hand at the teen, shooing her out the door. Ryuko smiles a bit and gives her a little bow before walking to the door. “Thank you sensei! You are seriously awesome!”

All she gets is a shrug and a smile from the doctor as she leaves the clinic. With a deep breath of fresh air Ryuko let’s it out slowly and takes a look around the streets. Seeing them a little less crowded she heads home, deciding to grab something sweet on the way.

She more than deserves something after what she’s been through today.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ...I'm not proud of this.
> 
> To be completely honest this fic came out of nowhere for me, and I just don't really know what else to say about it. Other than the reason why I decided to go with Ryuko was mainly because I was to lazy to figure out where to write lube in. So like yeah...this fic is a combination of me being really freaking weird, and lazy. Really lazy. 
> 
> Though to be honest Ryuko, like Ryuji is a ton of fun to write. Then again I am weak for peppy loud mouth girls and boys alike so that's no surprise there. Also made me realize I really like Ryuji/Akechi in general so you might all expect more of that maybe.
> 
> But either way I had fun with this, and I hope you enjoyed it too. I'm writing up the 2nd chapter as we speak so expect that...soonish. To be completely honest i have ten million other projects i should be working on. But this one is in a sense, short and not to sweet so i should get this done hopefully. 
> 
> I think i'm more embarrassed this is my first posted persona 5 fic than anything else...god lord i need a life. (I have others. They're just bigger and longer...and weirder)
> 
> Thank you for reading and lemme know down in the comments if you liked this! seriously, comments are the fastest way to motivate me in writing and helps keep me focused!


	2. Chapter 2

Ryuko yawns as she steps into LaBlanc, feeling close to falling asleep at any moment. Even the ringing bell above her head doesn’t wake her up, and sounds dull.

Sleep eluded her last night despite how hard she tried. The events of the day played over and over in her head along with fears of pregnancy. She tried everything to fall asleep, but eventually just ended up watching things on her phone until finally he eyes closed. Only to be woken up by her alarm clock for school a minute later.

She slept a bit in school, which resulted with a piece of chalk thrown at her and hitting it’s mark embarrassingly enough. All together though Ryuko probably got a total of three hours...Exhaustion is putting it lightly for her.

“You don’t look to good Ryuko-chan. What happened?”

Sakura Sojiro’s deep voice reaches her ears and makes her stare at him sleepily. She smiles a bit at the older man as she walks further into the cafe shrugging her shoulders. Out of all the adults in her life besides her mother Sojiro is the only one she’s found can make her feel better just by being there. He’s a constant figure in a sense with how he’s always at his cafe working and being friendly. Not to mention he’s probably the only adult male that she’s ever felt fully relaxed around. So hearing his worry for her makes her heart pull a bit and she decides to play it cool.

“Ah I’m fine boss, just couldn’t sleep.” She says with ease. “Just worried about exams and shit.”

Sojiro smiles a bit as he leans forward on his counter shaking his head. “Well don’t push yourself to much there kiddo. You’re to young to have bags under your eyes like that.”

Ryuko grins rubbing at her eyes. “I’ll try not to. Anyways, is Kaito here yet? He messaged me saying he wanted to met up here...”

Sojiro nods his head and points towards the stairway that leads up to the attic. “Yep, he just came in a bit ago and is waiting. Said you and the others should be here soon.”

“Sweet, and thanks. I’ll just head up there then.” Ryuko waves at Sojiro as she passes, who returns it.

“No problem, you just try to take it easy and don’t study too hard.” He tells her, standing straight again so he can wipe down his counter.

“Oh you know I won’t!” Ryuko winks at him before turning around and heading up the stairs.

Part of her is glad she’s early since hanging out with Kaito sounds like the best thing. She didn’t really get to talk to him about stuff the previous day and kind of just half-assed her texts with him last night. Ryuko can’t help as a bit of guilt eats at her since out of everyone, he’s the only one who noticed something was up.

He had texted her, asking if something happened with Akechi soon after she first tried to sleep. Ryuko almost broke at that, wanting to tell him everything that happened while he was gone but hesitated. Embarrassment with a bit of fear took over and she told him no that they just yelled at each other. She knows deep down inside that Kaito would never ever think less of her for what happened. At the same time she just can’t let him know she slept with the enemy literally.

She hates Akechi after all, for her to have sex with him means something’s wrong and their plans might be in trouble.

Ryuko is also the most vocal about her dislike in their little group, and to let them learn about it….god she’s sure she wouldn't be able to live through the shame! Besides she can only imagine the lectures she’d get from Makoto about safe sex and so on, not to mention the pitying looks from Ann and the others.

Yeah...it’s better to just keep quiet about this, to just let it die and move on. She’s pretty sure Akechi feels the same but part of her really wants to talk to him.

It’s an odd feeling to have about him, especially since there’s a part of her that could live without ever seeing him again. On the other hand, they had sex together because of some weird shadow pink goo...that is totally something that needs to be discussed. It would make her feel better to know his side of things. The frightened expression he leveled at her after he pushed himself away is what’s really confusing her...

Shaking her head Ryuko just focuses on getting up the steps and decides she’ll figure out how to handle it when she sees him again. She knows she’ll have to get him alone but other than that the runner is drawing a blank. Ah well...she’ll figure it out when she gets there. It’s a bit messy, but it has worked with every other problem she’s had in her life and she’s still kicking...some how.

As she makes her way up the stairs, the sound of two voices reaches her ears. At first she thought Kaito is just talking to Morgana, which is normal. However, the closer she got the more she noticed the voice is much deeper than the cat’s.

By the time she’s made it up the stairs she’s not surprised to see Akechi sitting next to Kaito drinking a cup of coffee. Both are smiling, clearly talking about something nice she quietly figures. Her stomach drops when Akechi notices her and smiles at her in that fake away of his waving her over.

“Oh! Hello, Sakamoto-chan, how are you doing today?” He asks with a tilt of his head. “I was just discussing some plans with Chiba-kun about what we plan to do today so perfect timing on arriving today.”

The cheer in his voice makes her want to punch him in the nose. Narrowing her eyes at him for a second she wants to ask what the hell he’s so happy about, but drops it when Kaito looks at her. She can see a nervous glint in his eyes as he looks her up and down, focusing on her eyes. Biting the inside of her cheek, and tearing her eyes away from his, Ryuko shrugs her shoulders as she walks towards the table they’ve set up. Deciding she doesn’t want to make Kaito worry she goes with her normal response.

“Whatever man, why are you always early?” She says as she flops down onto the couch. “Sup’ Kaito.”

“Hey Ryuko.” Kaito relaxes at her words, but still looks a bit nervous as he watches her lay her head down on the table. “You tired, I’m going to guess you didn’t sleep to well last night right?”

“Yeah, Ryuko looks like she’s half dead with those bags under her eyes.” Morgana pipes from the table.

“Shut up you stupid cat...and no...I couldn’t sleep for shit last night.” Ryuko groans with a yawn. “But I got a bit during class so I’ll be fine to fight.”

“You really shouldn’t sleep during your classes Sakamoto-chan.” Akechi chides as he sets his coffee cup down. “You’ll miss important things that will be on your exams.”

Despite his usual tone, Akechi’s voice makes an odd chill creep down her spine as she remembers how he sounded the previous day. Thankfully however, her utter contempt for this guy pushes down the memory of his moaning and makes her roll her eyes at him.

“Oh shove it up yer ass ya freaking over achiever!” Ryuko snaps a bit harsher than normal. “Not everyone’s the perfect honor student.”

Akechi is silent while Kaito is humming to himself and leans over to pat her head.

“A little grumpier than normal I see. It’s fine Ryuko, don’t worry about it. If you want you can go lay down on my bed until the others get here.” He offers, which makes her lift up her head.

Looking into his kind understanding eyes Ryuko can’t help but smile a bit and stand up. “Thanks Kaito, you’re too nice to me I swear.”

“You’re my best friend, I’m supposed to be nice to you.” Kaito points out. “And also point out that you do look like shit. Sorry.”

“Nah it’s fine dude I know I look horrible.” Ryuko says rustling Kaito’s messy hair before pushing it his head bit roughly. “Maybe I should borrow Morgana with how much you complain about him telling you to sleep.”

“Hey! I’m not that bad!” Morgana whines. “If I don’t tell this idiot when to sleep he’d stay up all night!”

With a snort Ryuko shakes her head and makes her way over to his bed. She doesn’t even look at Akechi as she flops down on the bed similar to how she did at the couch. Before she plants her face on Kaito’s pillows, she kicks her shoes off with ease. It isn’t to hard to fall into a light doze when her head hits the pillow, and listening to Kaito and Akechi talk lightly to one another helps. Kaito’s deep voice is soothing as always with the smooth way it lingers in the air and helps her fall into a heavier sleep.

Akechi’s isn’t half bad too despite how it can just ride on her nerves at times. At the moment however, he keeps his voice low, clearly respecting the girl’s exhaustion. She’s surprised by this given how much he always acts like he has to be the center of attention all the time and his volume is usually higher. It’s an exhausting idea to Ryuko to even imagine doing that with everyone you meet. His speaking patterns are always so controlled, and clearly well thought out with each syllable that leaves his tongue.

Except for yesterday…that is the only time she’s ever heard him let his words flow without over thinking them. It made her spine tingle with how raw he’d been, letting whatever that came leave his lips without holding it back.

“Hey kid, sorry to bug you while you’re up here with your friends but can you come down and help me out for a quick second?” Sojiro’s voice wakes Ryuko out of her sleep with a jump. She sits up blinking sleepily before laying back down, listening to Kaito stand up.

“Yeah no problem. I’ll be back in a second Akechi.” He says before his footsteps disappear down the stairs, leaving Akechi and Ryuko alone.

“I’ll go with you Kaito.” Morgana says as he follows him down the stairs. “I really don’t want to hear these two argue with each other.”

The silence between them is a thick one, only interrupted by the light noise of Akechi setting his coffee cup down. The occasional sound from the cafe lingers up, but it’s muffled by the floor leaving the two in uncomfortable situation.

Well...it is for Ryuko at least.

Akechi says nothing and is probably just staring at his phone or his cup, Ryuko guesses thanks to her back being to him. Despite this she wonders what his face looks like...is it blank like yesterday? Or is he smiling at the tastes of his stupid coffee? Part of her wants to sit up to take a peak but she stops, and instead stares ahead at the wall in front of her.

It’s staring at this particular spot on the wall that she quietly realizes this is the perfect time to talk to Akechi about what happened. She mulls things over on how to ask him things, especially since she doesn’t want to scare him away. Usually she’d just blurt out something but for once in her life she can’t help but over think everything and worry about what’s to come.

After all...they both were kind of not in their right mind when it went down yesterday so how do you ask the other person if they’re okay? Especially when that person just completely shut down the previous day and refused to talk to you then.

So Ryuko decides to go the lighter less obvious route.

“Hey...how did you sleep.” She asks, thinking that has to be a decent way to start….something.

He’s silent for a moment, which makes Ryuko nervous and regret asking. Part of her is pretty sure he’ll ignore her again like before, since that seems to be his default on how to deal with things. She doesn’t blame him however, and kind of wishes she had that will power.

“I slept just fine last night, thank you for asking Sakamoto-chan.” Akechi answers, his voice light and normal.

Normal.

His tone is _normal_.

Ryuko isn’t exactly sure why that pisses her off while making her heart start to thump painfully in her chest. She expected him to at least sound worried, or forced. Just something more than his normal light airy tone he has with everyone.

Then again...why should it be different?

Just because they had sex doesn’t mean she has to be something to him now. Given that horrified look he had on his face the previous day she’s probably nothing to him. Hell...he probably fucks girls all the time now that she thinks about it. She’s seen how many stupid fans he has over the past year and now they all scream over him. He can pick out any girl he wants, when he wants...so of course she wouldn’t mean jack shit to him.

Ryuko shifts and presses her face against Kaito’s pillows, closing her eyes and hating how much that thought stings. She hates him and even before she never really liked him. So why does this thought hurt so much?

Maybe it’s because she thought he’d at least say something. Anything really would be better than what he’s doing right now. It had been her first time too...

“Are you going to be okay to fight Sakamoto-chan?” He asks, as she hears him set his cup down. “You shouldn’t force yourself if you’re not feeling well. Everyone will understand taking the day off today.”

That suggestion makes her stomach drop and takes every bit of control in her body not to throw the pillow at his head. Biting her lip and gripping the pillow tighter Ryuko forces herself to calm down, feeling a harsh burn at the thought of him even suggesting that she’ll slow own their team.

How dare he!! He’s the one that’s lying to all of them and he has the gall to say that to her!?

But she can’t let him know she’s insulted by that, among other things. Some how she cools herself down by inhaling slowly and exhaling through her nose. Licking her lips Ryuko feels that the anger from everything hasn’t exactly cooled down, but she’ll be able to control herself.

She hears him sipping at his coffee again, probably finishing it considering he’s been drinking it before when she arrived.

“Yeah I’ll be fine.” Ryuko says after a bit, but can’t help the bite in her voice that escapes her mouth. “But are you sure it’s me you should worry about? Almost sounds like you’re trying to use me as an excuse.”

There’s nothing for a moment, just a hushed and heavy silence that hangs over them. Akechi sets the coffee cup down a bit harder than before, making her jump. He’s quiet for a few more seconds, then he chuckles sending a shiver down her spine.

“Oh thank you for your concern, but I will be fine.” His voice is just the same, thick with that fakeness she’s come to know. “Despite your mouth, you are quite a kind girl aren’t you _Ryu-chan_?”

Hearing him call her that makes Ryuko sit up in bed in a flash. She glares at his back, as she narrows her eyes. Her fingers twist in Kaito’s pillow, pushing down the urge to actually punch Akechi in the face. Before she can say anything the sound of the others coming up the stairs stops her and makes her swing her legs over the bed’s edge.

By the time everyone makes it up, Ryuko is slipping her shoes back on and standing up straight. Everyone kind of stares for a second looking between each other until she let’s out a yawn and stretches her arms over her head.

“Awwww man, thanks Kaito for letting me get a bit more sleep.” Ryuko says grinning at her friend. “It’s exactly what I needed.”

Kaito’s eyes linger on Akechi for a moment before he looks into hers. He looks doubtful but forces a smile to his lips, shrugging his shoulders.

“I’m just glad you’re feeling better. Is everyone ready for the meeting before we get back to the Palace?” Kaito asks glancing over his shoulder at everyone.

There’s a resounding yes from the group as they all take their place on the table. Akechi has stood up at that point, moving so he can give Kaito his seat. Ryuko easily takes her spot next to her best friend, shooting a glare at Akechi who smiles back sweetly as he always does.

It makes her sneer at him but it lasts for a second before she’s distracted by Makoto’s talking.

Fine...if he wants to act that way then _fine_.

She’s totally okay acting like nothing happened. Makes her life ten times easier since that means she doesn’t have to deal with Akechi any longer than she has too. Once this whole messed up situation is done and said for and he’s out of her life for good, Ryuko will totally forget the asshole and keep moving.

Or at least that’s what she thinks until he starts talking in the palace a bit later, and she snaps a tiny bit.

It takes her shoving him into a shadow by “accident” a third time for Kaito to decided to put them on separate teams for a bit.

* * *

 “So you’ve got the whole apartment to yourself for a few days?”

Ann’s light voice carries over Ryuko’s phone as she presses her shoulder against it so it doesn’t slip. With a grunt she easily picks up her kotatsu and sets it gently on the floor in front of her TV. Her mother had asked her to get it out of storage for them, which she easily agreed too. It’s been getting colder these past few days and while their little apartment has heating, things are expensive. It’s way easier to keep the kotatsu on and wear a sweater with the normal heat turned down low.

“Yeeep, Kaa-san went on a business trip for the week so I’m all alone.” Ryuko says with a chuckle. “Outside of keeping the apartment clean and setting up the kotasu I’m totally free.”

Well...somewhat free.

To no one’s surprise Akechi did make his move about two days after that _incident_ and their own plan to get back at him was set in motion. She knew that bastard’s smile was fake and he was going to do something, but the fact he tried to kill Kaito makes Ryuko’s blood run cold. Out of them all he got to know Akechi the best, and even then it looks like their bond meant nothing to the so called detective.

Then there’s the whole sex thing he refused to talk about that she is totally fine with...yeah it’s been an odd week.

Ryuko’s more than happy Kaito’s safe and sound in his little attic despite now having to go out in disguise. She doesn’t know what she’d do if her best friend died…

“Aw your mom is so nice.” Ann says with a giggle. “So what are you thinking of having for dinner?”

“Nothing much, probably some instant ramen and shit like that.” Ryuko says with a yawn. “We’ve been so busy trying to figure out shit I’ve been eating on the go really, so I’m not too hungry.”

“Yeah I know what you mean. Mom made me some dinner and I had to force myself to eat it.” Ann says with a sigh. “I can’t wait until this crap is done.”

“You and me both.” Ryuko agrees with a sigh.

Though she does have to at least admit to herself that it is nice to have a big distraction from her other worries. Mostly about being pregnant obviously which is a real possibility. She knows it’s only been a few days but she’s so anxious about this. Especially after how easily Akechi went in and tried to kill Kaito.

The thought of being pregnant with his kid makes her stomach roll in disgust and fear.

But she trusts the medicine the doctor gave her and has decided to keep an eye on everything until things calm down. If she’s really worried and hasn’t had her period soon she’ll just take a pregnancy test.

If it’s positive…well Ryuko isn’t what she’ll do but if that’s how things turn out she’ll think of something.

Despite that the weight of having sex with Akechi still hangs over her. A part of her wants to tell the group what went down, still feeling guilty about it even now. But at the same time she’s so scared of them rejecting her.

Even Kaito…

Ryuko shakes her head at that thought and stands up quickly. _‘No use in thinking about that shit right now. Let’s just get the old comforter on the kota_ _t_ _su and wait for the_ _new one_ _in the mean time.’_

Before leaving Ryuko’s mother had mentioned to her that she should expect a package to be delivered today. She’d ordered a new comforter for their kotatsu since the old one’s gotten some holes from using it so much. They’ve had that thing since they moved into these apartments now that Ryuko thinks of it, and a part of her is kind of sad to see it go.

It had been one of the new things to kick off their fresh start of living on their own without the shadow of her father over them.

“Kaito’s going stir crazy though.” Ann says with a light laugh, bringing Ryuko out of her thoughts. “He hates that he’s not going to be able to run around like he use to.”

“I bet, that dude’s like an outside freaking cat.” Ryuko grunts as she pulls the comforter out of the closet. “Taking him in from the outside and expecting him to be happy there is going to drive him up the wall.”

“Oh gosh tell me about it.” Ann says with a dramatic sigh. “When I visited him today he kind of begged me to do his nails.”

“Hm? Why’s that?” Ryuko asks tucking the blanket under her arm.

“Well...when they were beating him one of the guys stepped on his hand.” Ann says softly. “It’s not broken but his fingers bruised up nicely under his nails so...”

Ryuko freezes as she feels her heart drop. She remembers coming to the cafe to see him after being beaten half to death by the cops. He looked... _beat_ , which did not fit her best friend. Kaito has always had a sleep look to him, and knows well the dude can sleep for hours. But the exhausted beaten down look he had after coming home...that wasn’t her usual Kaito.

“Effin’ cops...” Ryuko hisses. “Every last one is god damn dirty...Don’t worry Ann, we’ll make them pay.”

“I know we will Ryuko, but for now we gotta figure out who’s really behind everything.” Ann adds as Ryuko starts to walk. She drops the comforter down on the ground feeling a bit of a smile come.

“Yeah, and we will. We always do right?” Ryuko asks with a bit of hope in her voice.

“That we do! We’ll beat all the shitty adults, and Akechi!” Ann says taking a bit from her friend’s usual enthusiasm.

“That we will!” Ryuko pumps a fist in the air despite no one being there to see it. “So...what color did you paint his nails?”

“Oh I was tempted to go for red, but I was thinking about it and given the seriousness we’re in I thought black is perfect.” Ann says in a way Ryuko can just see her grin.

Ryuko puts her shoulder up to hold her phone again as she works on her kotatsu, and soon enough it’s all set. With a smile she takes hold of her phone and switches it to her other ear, thanks to that side getting a little hot there.

“Niiice. I’ll have to have you come over and do mine. I had a nasty hang nail the other day so a manicure would be nice.” Ryuko says as she holds her hand out. “Took forever to chew that sucker off.”

“Sometimes I forget you’re a girl when you say stuff like that, you know Ryuko?” Ann says with a laugh.

She rolls her eyes at that one as she stands, planning on getting the cushions to set around the tiny table. Just as she goes to say something back, her doorbell ring and makes her pause.

“Hold that thought Ann, I gotta go answer the door. Our new kotatsu comforter is in!” Ryuko announces happily.

As Ann cheers over the phone Ryuko quickly heads to her apartments front door. After she gets this stupid thing, she’ll throw it into their tiny washing machine to get that going. Their little machine can only take one load like this, and even then the spin dryer they have can only get things so dry. Ryuko’s pretty sure she’ll be up all night dealing with this despite it being fairly early in the evening. Maybe she’ll actually do some homework while she waits for her washing machine to do it’s job.

‘ _Na_ _h._ _’_ Ryuko thinks as she unlocks the door with a happy little smile. _‘I’ve got some games that need some attention so I’ll focus on that.’_

Her smile drops instantly when she opens the door.

“So do you have it yet?” Ann asks excitedly in her ear. “C’mon tell me what it looks like!”

Ryuko feels her mouth go dry as she stares at the person standing outside in front of her doorway. Swallowing thickly Ryuko feels anger rise up inside of her as she narrows her eyes.

“Hey Ann...I’m going to have to let you go.” She keeps her voice cool and calm despite the absolute rage she feels welling inside her chest. “I’ve got a bit of a bird problem that I need to take care of.”

“A bird problem?”

“Yeah...a big stupid one just flew into my house. I’ll call you back when I get it out.” Ryuko takes her phone away from her ear and hangs up on Ann. She stares at her phone and debates if she should message someone else but decides against it. It would be far too suspicious and he’d just catch on…

After all it’s Akechi Goro standing in her front door with a box in his hand.

* * *

 “That wasn’t very nice.”

Akechi’s light tone infuriates Ryuko more and she debates if she should just slam the door in his pretty face. Despite how satisfying it would be, there’s no telling how he’d react. Hell...the fact that he’s here is starting to make her far more nervous about her safety than anything else.

This guy tried to kill Kaito in cold blood after all. There’s no telling what he’d do with her.

Ryuko is silent as she glares at him, unsure of what to say to the bastard. For days she had imagined what she’d do to him for his betrayal and she’d gotten pretty imaginative if she says so herself. But now all those ideas fly right out the door, especially once she catches a gimps of his eyes.

They’re different now, looking harsher and cold. Even when he was faking things there had at least been a warmth to them, now they just bare down at her, making her feel like she’s freezing. Kaito wasn’t his first kill, she can see that the more she stares into his eyes, and it makes her want to puke.

“Aren’t you going to invite me in _Ryu-chan_?” He asks, using his private nickname for her. He pats the box under his arm lightly and holds up a plastic bag in his other free hand. “I’ve come bearing gifts.”

He hadn’t used the nickname since that time in the bedroom, and it makes her skin crawl since now she can tell it’s a personal thing between him and her. Silently, she takes a step back and let’s him come in against her better judgment.

What can she do anyways? Call the cops? Not after the way they beat the shit out of her friend. Besides she’d just end up dead since they’re working for Akechi...or at least they have the same boss.

Smiling, Akechi steps into her house and Ryuko slowly closes the door behind him. She leans against it, crossing her arms as she watches him take a moment to slip his shoes off.

For once he’s dressed more like a person his age. Wearing a red hoodie and black skinny jeans, Akechi looks far younger and less stuffy than what she’s use to. He’s even pulled his hair back into a tiny ponytail, which she sees stick out of his black baseball cap. What this get up is for, she has no clue but it does make him look less obvious than he’d be if he came in his usual uniform.

“You’re being awfully quiet Ryu-chan. An event I thought wasn’t possible with that mouth of yours.” He says as he finishes taking off his sneakers. He takes a step up into her house and turns around. “I almost want to say you’re not happy to see me...”

“After the bullshit you pulled, you really think I’d want to see your dumb face ever again?” She asks, her words harsh. “You’re lucky I didn’t slam the door in your face.”

“Hmmm I suppose I do deserve your harsh words...” Akechi says looking down a bit.

Ryuko’s mouth falls open at that and she takes a step forward “You...You _suppose_ you deserve that!? Oh let me tell you something you shithead, you deserve far worse than my _harsh words_.”

He tried to kill Kaito...he fucking tried to kill Kaito and he waltzes in with a smile on his lips and his usual fucking tone...no. Ryuko is not going to stand here and let him speak to her this way, when it’s clear he’s just there to fuck with her head.

But he doesn’t know Kaito’s alive…

That thought forces Ryuko to cool her anger just a bit so she doesn’t say something stupid. She can’t let him know Kaito’s alive...that would ruin everything they’ve set up. She may have a big mouth and be stupid at times but she’s learned how to control herself better over the past year.

His eyes narrow as he watches her calm down. “I can’t deny what you say isn’t true. But for the moment let’s put that aside for now. We have important things to discuss.”

“Like what? How far your head is up your own ass?” Ryuko snorts at his words.

“Don’t be nasty Ryu-chan.” Akechi says with a sigh, as he turns around. He takes a moment to observe her apartment and hums to himself. “Your apartment is small...but it feels very homey.”

Ryuko narrows her eyes at that one, but says nothing not really sure if that is an insult or a compliment. She follows him to her living room where she almost runs into his back when he comes to a stop.

“Oh!! You already have your kotatsu set up!” Akechi says with an excited little gasp. “I can’t even remember the last time I sat at one.”

Ryuko watches him from the doorway as he happily sets down the large box and plastic bags on the small table. He hums to himself as he sits down, and tilts his head when he discovers the table isn’t on. He fusses it with a bit until he figures out how to turn it on.

Watching him it really hits her how odd it is not to see him in his usual attire and with his hair up. The word younger comes to mind again as she grips her hands into a fist, while a bit of fear eats at her. She has to play this smart...she has to keep her mouth shut despite the sweet smile on his lips. Ryuko knows it’s fake, and doesn’t trust this happy attitude he has, but she can’t freak out right now.

When he notices she hasn’t move he tilts his head. “What’s the matter Ryu-chan? Aren’t you going to come over and eat? Or wait? Do you want to open up your delivery first?”

She’s taken back by his words and blink blankly. Her eyes dart from the box to Akechi who pats it the thing happily. Frowning she shakes her head as her leg starts to bounce thanks to her nerves.

“I don’t think you want to trust me with sharp objects right now.” She advises.

To her surprise Akechi laughs and nods his head. “That’s fine then with me, we can open it after we eat.”

Ryuko blinks again at that, and crosses her arms as she leans against the wall. “What the hell are you talking about?”

Akechi sighs dramatically as he pulls the plastic bag over to him after setting the large box on the ground. From there pulls out two Styrofoam boxes and sets them down on the table along with two cans. He points his happy smile towards her once more, reminding her of a child looking for praise.

“I wasn’t sure if you’ve eaten yet but I figured since I was in the neighborhood I’d treat you to some dinner.” He taps the box with his finger. “There’s this great little American style restaurant around here that I just love. I wasn’t sure what to get you so I just ordered the omurice for you.”

Ryuko stares at him again as if he’s grown another head, and finds that some how she’s at a lost for words.

Is...is this guy _fucking insane??_

There is no way in hell Ryuko is going to eat anything he’s brought in. There’s no telling what kind of drugs he added or fuck, what if he put a _needle_ in her food?! Akechi could have literally done anything to that food before he knocked on her door, and thankfully Ryuko is smart enough to see the danger there.

Sensing her apprehension Akechi chuckles shaking his head, making the runner’s skin crawl. Something’s off about it, but not in the usual phony way she’s come to recognize with the young man. No, this is a real laugh...there’s just something messed up about it.

“Ahh, a lost for words at my generosity, how sweet!” He says, his cold eyes staring straight into hers. “Trust me Ryu-chan, I’m very particular when it comes to food thanks to my past. I would never tamper with someone’s meal.”

The look in Akechi’s eyes makes Ryuko calm down a bit, and for whatever reason she trusts him. Maybe it’s the glint she sees there in his expression, or how she knows he’s been through the foster system as a child. She’s heard horrible rumors about what goes down in that set up, and can only imagine what adults must have done to his food when he was a child to make him say something like that.

“Aren’t you going to come and sit next to me Ryu-chan? I’ll be pretty lonely all by myself on this end...” He patting the spot on the floor next to him. “Come here, and sit next to me, it’ll be warmer that way as well.”

Instead of giving him an answer she just glares at him, her leg starting to bounce again nervously. There’s an awkward stretch of silence before Ryuko’s anger gets the better of her and she finally finds herself ready to ask him one thing that’s been bugging her for days.

“Why the hell do you suddenly want to talk to me?” Ryuko snaps watching his eye twitch. Her voice softens a bit as that familiar pain comes back to her chest. She hasn’t felt this since she last talked to him privately up in Kaito’s room.

She’s not sure why it’s there, feeling more confused by how her chest aches that mixes with her anger. “I mean, you barely wanted anything to do with me after _that_...so why now? After everything that’s happened...why now?”

Akechi is quiet for a moment, laying his arms on the kotatsu as he takes his time to clearly pick out his words. She watches his eyes move around, while his finger taps against the wood until finally he stops.

“I...apologize for my behavior after that Ryu-chan.” He says, and for once she believes him. Part of her isn’t sure why she’s so sure this is him being real with her. Maybe it’s the way he won’t look her in the eyes as he grips his hand into a fist. “I...I had a lot on my plate at that moment and I wasn’t exactly sure how to handle what happened.”

“Oh yeah betraying us must have really thrown you off your groove.” Ryuko hisses hatefully, as she shoves her hands into her sweater’s pockets.

With stiff shoulders, she forces herself to shrug thinking maybe if she tells him shit is fine he’ll leave. However, Akechi has reached out and opened up one of the cans, taking a sip from it and making it clear he’s probably not leaving any time soon.

Shit.

“Don’t worry about it, it’s fine now. I’m not like the other chicks you probably fuck so I can’t blame you for being embarrassed.” It however does not hurt to at least try to get him out of here despite things.

Akechi chocks on his drink, and coughs roughly as he slams it down. It takes a bit, but soon his coughing calms and he’s staring up at her wide eyes. “ _E-e-xcuse me_?”

Ryuko frowns at the confused and almost frightened stare he gives her. “Your fans? You have so many girls around you that I’m sure you get to pick out the best ones. Compared to me I bet they’re ten times better...”

Ryuko’s voice lowers as she grits her teeth, her cheeks turning bright red. She’s never exactly been a girly girl, and knows she’s got more muscles than what’s normal for someone her age. Boys always saw her as that guy friend despite being a girl; even the ones she had crushes on through the years. It had hurt for a long time until she’d come to accept herself with the help of Kaito and the others.

She thought she was proud of her body now...proud of herself in a sense too. But when Akechi refused to talk to her after that whole pink goo incident her self esteem took a bit of a hit. It kind of confirmed that no one really looks at her _that_ way...

Despite this Akechi still looks absolutely confused with his wide eyes. His mouth opens and closes like a fish until finally he finds his voice.

“ _What in the world are you talking about!_ **?** ” He blurts out shaking his head. “I’ve never, **ever** had sex with any of my fans!!”

Now it’s Ryuko’s turn to be surprised as she feels her own face grow hotter. “Then why the hell did you treat me like that!?”

Akechi drops his head, his hand reaches up to rub his forehead. “I...I know what I did was wrong...” He covers his eyes and let’s out a shaky sigh. “I apologize but I was shocked by my actions as well...and I didn’t know how to handle what happened. Pushing you away was the only logical thing that came to mind.”

“Yeah well that pink shit got to me too asshole so like...fuck off!” Ryuko snaps slamming her fist against the wall as she feels a few tears prick at her eyes. She ducks her head down so he can’t see the tears, and blinks them away. “That...that was my _first time_...”

Maybe that’s why his actions are getting to her.

She never had sex before then and probably like every other girl out there she imagined her fist time would a bit more romance. Not bent over a table with a guy who tired to kill her best friend, and literally feels nothing for her. It stings a spot inside she didn’t know she had until Akechi’s mood after it happened.

She understands being scared, she is still freaked out too considering what had happened and what prompted him. But saying nothing, acting like it didn’t happen...it hurts and makes her feel like she’s just... _nothing_.

Akechi stares at her, biting his lip until his head dips a bit down. “Th-that….that was my first time too.”

His voice is barely above a whisper but Ryuko feels her stomach drop at his words. Her head whips up, glaring at him as he turns his away from her. He still isn’t looking her in the eyes and that is starting to piss her off. However, with the way he keeps gnawing at his lip she gets the feeling he isn’t lying but…

“B-but you like...you like...t-touched me a-and stuff.” Ryuko says swallowing thickly. “I-I-I mean I thought you like...had experience...or something.”

Akechi face is now as red as his hoodie as he tries to hide his face more with his hands. He’s silent for a moment, as if he’s debating on telling her something embarrasing. After about five minutes the detective finally says something.

But of course it’s muffled by his hands.

“What?” Ryuko says, prompting him to say it again only to be muffled like before. “I can’t understand you Akechi. What the shit are you saying?”

“I’ve watched porn!” Akechi says quickly slamming his hands on the table. It makes Ryuko jump a bit but it’s clear he didn’t do that in anger.

“And that explains that how?” Ryuko asks tilting her head.

He sighs and taps his finger against the table as he covers his mouth with his hand before dropping it. “I’ve...never really been interested in intercourse Ryu-chan. It just does nothing for me, and I’ve never really found anyone I’ve ever wanted to try it with. But I’ve...” he sighs as he pinches the bridge of his nose. “But out of curiosity I have watched porn. What the big deal about it is, I still don’t exactly understand but...I figured it would be better to know _something_ than be clueless...”

“Oooh...well...shit dude...” Ryuko mumbles rubbing her arms. “You...you did a good job.”

He gives her an annoyed look before letting his shoulders relax. “I apologize for my behavior afterwards Ryu-chan again...I didn’t know it caused you such distress.”

“I tried to push you into a shadow so you’d die dude...multiple times.” Ryuko says, her mouth falling open.

“Yes I know...but again I had other things on my mind, and that brings us here to today.” Akechi let’s out another sigh. “We had unprotected sex.”

“Yeah no shit Sherlock.” Ryuko says sarcastically as she crosses her arms.

“Please Ryu-chan I am trying to handle this like an adult.” He groans shaking his head. “Can you at least knock it off with the sarcasm.”

“Given the shit you put me through? Fuck no asshole, deal with it.” Ryuko says with a sneer. “It’s the only way I can handle having actual sex with you.”

“Wonderful.” Akechi says with narrowed eyes. “Back to my point, Ryu-chan...there’s a very real possibility of you being _pregnant_.”

Ryuko feels her stomach drop at his words and she feels her leg start to bounce once more as it always does when she’s trying to control herself or nervous. Swallowing thickly she nods her head deciding to somewhat drop her sarcasm just for this moment.

“Trust me dude...I’ve been worrying about that for the past few days nonstop.” Ryuko says rubbing her arms again as a chill runs down her spin.

“I can imagine that is what’s been interrupting your sleep then.” Akechi says gently, his voice softer than she’s ever heard it be.

“A little bit.” Ryuko admits with a shrug, not sure where this softness has come from. It’s like a one one eighty from how he’d been a few minutes ago, it’s kind of disturbing. “But don’t worry about it, I ran and took care of it.”

Akechi stares at her and tilts his head. “Hm?” He’s confused by her words clearly and thankfully still has that soft look in his eyes.

It’s odd to see him like this, as if he’s weirdly trying to comfort her. Part of her wishes he’d done this days ago...she might have been actually receptive to it. Now it just pisses her of mildly and reminds her of how weird this guy is.

‘ _He tried to kill Kaito.’_

She repeats this a few times in her head, making sure she knows this softness is probably fake. She knows he’s up to something...she just doesn’t know what it is yet.

Blushing a bit as she reaches up to rub the back of her neck Ryuko feels a bit put on spot now despite her thoughts.

“That night I ran and got some emergency birth control.” She glares at the surprised look that pops up on his face thanks to her words. “Get that look off your face before I smack it off for you Akechi! I know what emergency contraception is! I’m not that dumb...”

“I apologize Ryu-chan, but that’s not what I’m surprised by. I thought a woman had to get that through a perception so I was just taken back that you got it so fast.” Akechi explains shaking his head.

“Oh that...well I’ve got...connections.” Ryuko says shrugging her shoulders. “Don’t worry about it alright? I took care of it so chill out dude.”

“I must admit I am relieved to hear that you acted so quickly.” Akechi says as his entire body relaxes, despite this he stares at his hands as he grips them into fists. “Despite that...from my own research I know there’s a chance it might not have work.”

“Oh god please dude, do not make me worry about that more...” Ryuko groans pressing the heal of her hand to her forehead. “Trust me I’ve been worried about that.”

“I understand but Ryu-chan but this is still a very real possibility even with that type of medicine.” Akechi’s voice is firm now, and his expression went from soft concern to one of serious determination. “So...that is why I came over tonight. I wanted to discuss things and let you know that I will support you in whatever you choose to do.”

Ryuko is a bit surprised by what feels to be his real honesty while her stomach twists nervously. Biting her lip she sighs and shakes her head.

“Thanks but...listen if things turn out _that_ way I honestly have no freaking clue what I’d do.” Ryuko admits as she hugs herself. “Trust me I’ve spent hours thinking about stuff going from one option then jumping to the next. Only to go back to my original idea.”

Rationally Ryuko’s not dumb enough to go through a pregnancy at sixteen and in high school. She can’t afford shit, and there is no way in hell she’d make her mom pay for anything. That isn’t right...this wouldn’t be her mother’s kid after all. Then there’s the whole phantom thief thing and if she does end up knocked up she wouldn’t be able to fight.

Ryuko would never forgive herself if that went down knowing well that she plays a part in that team, and if one member is missing then nothing works. It’s how they’ve sort of grown over the year, and she isn’t about to jeopardize that just because of some stupid pink goo and Akechi. No way in hell…

On the other hand...the sentimental part of her likes to _imagine_ somehow...she’d make it work with a baby. It’s a dumb thought she’s been rolling around in her head, thinking of the support she’ll get. Even with her embarrassment towards how she got knocked up, she knows none of her friends would turn their backs on her. Would they be angry? Sure, she’s mad at herself for that pink shit got to her. But they wouldn’t abandon her.

But no...she’s not that naive to think despite their help, having the kid would be a smart move.

So in the end it’s better to hope the medicine she took is doing it’s job, and pray for no pregnancy. She’s been doing that every night, and even made a quick stop at a shrine. It’s stupid she knows but hell...whatever helps is good in her book.

“Ryuko.”

Akechi’s voice brings her out of her thoughts and she finds herself staring into his eyes. Tilting her head, Ryuko watches as he takes a deep breath, and let’s it out in a slow sigh as if he’s preparing himself for something.

“I understand completely and can only imagine the stress you are going through. I just want you to know if pregnancy does happens and you decide to keep the child I will take responsibility.”

Ryuko blinks at his words and finds herself squinting at him. “Um...okay? I’m not exactly getting at what you mean dude...”

Akechi’s eye twitches from annoyance but he keeps his face the same.

“What I meant by taking responsibility is that I would marry you.”

Ryuko’s eyes widen at his words as her brain stops in it’s tracks, trying it’s best to break down what he’s just said. Taking that as a sign to continue Akechi closes his eyes and looks away, a light blush dusting his cheeks.

“I know you don’t exactly enjoy my presence Ryu-chan, but I just cannot let you handle a child by yourself. That isn’t right and what society dictates is that I marry you.” He explains with ease, only stopping to take a sip from his can. “It’s something that would be a big hit to my reputation along with yours obviously but I think if we were to marry the effect would lessen a great deal.”

His words reach her ears but all she can do is stare blankly as he talks. The gears in her brain are stuck, making it so nothing really has any weight. She had never really factored in Akechi’s part in this, only thinking of herself and what to do with the kid but...

Did...did Akechi just propose to her...but only if she’s pregnant?

Ryuko finds herself gagging at the thought and covers her mouth as she quickly turns away, missing what Akechi had been saying.

“Ryu-chan are you okay?” She hears him stand up but ignores it as she covers her mouth.

Her? Marry Akechi Goro? That’s...that’s…

_That’s freaking hilarious!_

Ryuko bursts out laughing as Akechi makes her turn around. She points at him as she holds her gut and bends over, barely breathing as she laughs and laughs. Akechi stares at her dumbfounded by her behavior and frowns. It takes her a few good minutes but by the end Ryuko is wiping away her tears.

“Oh...Oh my god...did you just literally tell me you’ll marry me if I’m pregnant!?” She asks trying to stifle her giggles. “Dude….what the fuck!?”

“I’m being totally serious here Ryu-chan!” Akechi says as his cheeks burn. He glares at her as he rolls his eyes at her laughs. “You’re acting like a child!”

“I’m sorry but...I just can’t imagine myself being married to you!” Ryuko snorts at that shaking her head. “Not a chance in hell, even if I was pregnant and you’re the father.”

Akechi is silent as he watches her, with an odd glint in his eyes is what makes her laughter stop. He looks...hurt. He hangs his head and turns from her as his hands slip into his hoodie’s pockets. A small fraction of guilt eats at her as she quickly remembers...his mother committed suicide because she had him out of wedlock.

Shit.

Ryuko bites her lip as she feels her cheeks burn with shame. “Shit...Akechi I’m sorry. I forgot.”

She admits this easily despite all that he’s done. His eyes dart too look at her before staring back down at his feet.

“It’s...fine. I just...don’t want to be my _father_...I can’t leave a woman all alone to take care of a child she does not want.” He smiles bitterly. “I don’t know why I’m surprised that you wouldn’t want me even then, you hate me after all.”

The way the word father rolls off his tongue gives Ryuko chills. There is no love in that word for Akechi, only hate and clearly a lot of pain. She can understand that feeling though, not wanting to be like your father. Even now as she struggles with her anger, all she can remember is back to when she was a child, and had to walk on eggshells around him. Makes her sick to her stomach to know her temper comes from him, and she can only imagine Akechi’s panic not to be his own given what happened to his mother.

Running a hand through her hair, she let’s out a soft sigh. “I thought I told you I don’t hate you. And to be honest...I get your offer but I can’t accept it.”

Akechi is a bit surprised and looks at her. “Is it because I betrayed you all?”

“Well...kind of but not really? I just...I just don’t think it’d be smart to jump into something like that with me being sixteen and you being what? Seventeen?” she says tilting her head.

“Eighteen actually.” He corrects, voice still soft.

“Eighteen...right. We can barely freaking stand one another, well _I_ can barely stand you to be honest. But do you really think it’d be smart to get a kid involved in that? Sure it’d hit me pretty hard, make my mom look like a failure...” She pauses at that before shaking her head before continuing on. “But like...getting married in a situation like this is just asking to make it worse. Adding a baby between us would probably make us actually hate each other and that’s a situation I refuse to put a kid in.”

“But I’m still the child’s father...I couldn’t let you take that responsibility on your own.” Akechi shakes his head at her suggestion. “No, it would be better to be married on paper. I can support you both, or at least in the future I will be able to do so.”

Frowning at his words it’s Ryuko’s turn to shake her head again. “I said no dude. I appreciate the offer but honestly I’d be better on my own. I’ve got my friends, and my mom if this is what goes down.”

It’s weirdly sweet that he’s this worried about things despite freaking everything that’s gone down. He’s like a totally different person than the one who walked into her home just a bit ago. It doesn’t feel fake even now, and she can see something in his eyes as he stares down at her. It shows that in his own really weird way, Akechi cares. Sure it’s probably more about his reputation but still, it’s nice to hear he wants to support her.

“Why are you being so stubborn!” Akechi snaps at her slamming his hand on the wall next to her head. It makes Ryuko jump in surprise, not expecting his anger and just realizing how close he is to her now. In fact it’s a bit _to_ close for her liking after what happened between them. “If this happens Ryu-chan, I’m a part of this no matter how hard you try to push me away. Please...I just...can’t be _him_...please.”

Ryuko’s pretty sure “him” is his father but she decides not to press. Swallowing thickly Ryuko bites her lip and groans loudly before she starts to rub her forehead.

“Shit...I just planned not to put you on the birth certificate and junk.” She watches his body twitch at her words. “But if you are really this determined to be involved if this whole crap happens...then fine. We can talk it out and we’ll find something to agree on okay? But I ain’t marrying you okay?”

Akechi lifts his head and sighs at her words but nods them. He looks tired, and far to young to be talking about this type of thing. Hell Ryuko knows she’s to young for this shit herself but well...here they are. “Fine. I highly doubt this whole situation will happen but I agree to those terms.”

Ryuko crosses her arms and snorts. “Damn straight you do. I have no clue what the hell has gotten into you but knock it off. I’d marry Kaito first before I marry you….And he’s dead.” She adds quickly remembering who the young man in front of her he is.

She regrets her words instantly as something invisible snaps between them. The runner can feel it in the air, that the odd truce they had made seconds ago is gone now. Instead a cool sharp feeling drifts between them, and Ryuko licks her lips as she waits for his next move.

Akechi’s eyes have widened, and there’s an odd icy look in them. It makes a chill run down her spine, on top of making her feel very tiny under his gaze. He sneers at her as he leans in closer, causing her press her hands against his chest to keep some space.

“Now why did you have to go and bring him up...” He hisses softly. “He’s dead...why do you have still have to talk about _him_?”

* * *

 Ryuko isn’t exactly fond of the spot she’s found herself in and wonders if there’s a way to get out of it without decking Akechi in the face. She isn’t opposed to that of course, especially with the memory of Kamoshida trying to come on to her a year ago takes root in her mind. She broke his fingers just to get the fuck away from him there...why is she so suddenly afraid to get way from a teenager half of that shitbags weight?

Maybe it’s because he tried to kill her friend, and she isn’t that dumb to piss him off?

‘ _Rational part of my brain is right,’_ Ryuko thinks as she stares into Akechi’s dark eyes, as she licks her lips nervously. _‘Keep your anger down and_ _maybe you can just get him out of your apartment soon.’_

Of course this also brings back memories of the incident days ago and it makes her heart beat just a tiny bit faster. Which just makes everything oh so nicely awkward.

“What the hell is your problem with me talking about my best friend?” Ryuko asks glaring back.

“Because he’s _dead_ Ryu-chan. He’s _gone_. And he’s never coming back...” Akechi explains with ease. He looks detached as he speaks, and shifts just a bit closer making her silently realize she can feel his calm heartbeat under her finger tips. That makes her stomach twist, as her own hammers inside her chest at the same time.

“So what? I have a right to talk and mourn someone I loved!” She snaps, feeling anger finally take over.

Akechi laughs at this, shaking his head as head as he settles down. “Loved him!? I don’t know how when he barely noticed you. If he did, you were just another guy friend to him.”

“I didn’t love him that way asshat.” Ryuko hisses rolling her eyes. “He was my best friend and I loved him that way, and nothing more.”

“Bullshit.” Akechi is fast as he reaches out, taking hold of her chin and forcing her to look up into his eyes. “I saw the way you use to follow him around like some lost love sick puppy. He was always more focused on other girls, seeing you as nothing more than a friend. You must have been so frustrated given how loud you were. Always trying to get his attention...”

Ryuko lays her hand on top of his and digs her fingersnails into his skin as she turns her head away. He doesn’t even flinch which raises a lot of red flags in her head. “Screw you Akechi! You know nothing about me or what my relationship with Kaito was!!”

“I knew _exactly_ what it was, and I know who you are Ryu-chan.” He leans farther down, squeezing her chin more and forcing her to look back when she tries to turn away. “He was nothing...just someone who got lucky constantly and his luck only ran out when he met me.”

He moves again, this time by her ear. “You wanted him didn’t you? Wanted him to bend you over that table and take you rough like I did right? But no...instead it was me and you **liked it**.”

“You’re ‘effin delusional.” Ryuko snorts as she leans a bit away from him. She feels a bit of pride take root inside as she’s figured out Akechi’s problem. It took a while, but his weird focus on Kaito spells it out for her easily. He pulls back as he narrows his gaze at her, and for a moment she’s kind of scared. But she pushes through, putting on her own terrifying glare with ease as a smirk spreads across her lips. “You were jealous of him...weren’t you?”

Akechi’s face twitches at her words and the growl that escapes his lips reminds her more of a cornered animal than person. Absolute rage takes over as he slams his fist into the wall next to her head. Some how Ryuko controls herself and doesn’t flinch despite the cold fear settling in her stomach. She’s never ever seen someone so _angry_...not even her own father when he went one of his drunken rampages.

This is different...this is a colder rage, one that comes from a very dark and deep part of Akechi. It makes her skin crawl when a smile creeps across his lips as he his hand slides up her face. He cups her cheek, his thumb gently brushing across her skin in a twisted show of affection.

“Why in the world would I be jealous of that attic trash?” He chuckles shaking his head, despite this his voice rises slowly. “Do you know how god damn hard I’ve worked to get to where I am today? Blood, sweat and tears have gone into everything I am!! He was _nothing_ compared to me!!”

“If that helps you sleep at night then go ahead and think that.” Ryuko rolls her eyes at Akechi’s words and slips her hands into her sweater’s pockets. She’s partly terrified on top of absolutely pissed at his words. Some how these emotions have met in the middle and an odd calm has come over her. “I’m not the one who freaked out at the mention of Kaito’s name. If he is nothing, then why’d you drop that little mask of yours?”

“You really do not know when to shut your mouth do you?” Akechi says sighing, slowly his hand moves to tangle in her hair.

Ryuko yelps when his fingers curl and he painfully yanks her head to the side. With one eye closed she takes hold of Akechi’s wrist and squeezes.

“Let me go or I’ll fucking break your wrist!” She hisses, ignoring the second tug he gives her. “I’ve done it before asshole, I’m not afraid to do it again!!”

“No you’re not going to do that.” Akechi warns his voice ice cold. “Because you’re going to listen to what I have to say.”

Before she can say anything he leans close to her ear, making her nerves tingle when his hot breath hits her.

“The only reason you and your friends are alive at the moment is because I am _letting_ you live.”

Part of Ryuko shivers at his words, and knows deep inside he’s not lying. If it weren’t for Sae, a random guard would be dead along with Kaito. He has little mercy for people he sees as a threat and there is a part of her that wonders why he hasn’t tried to take them out.

Despite this a bit of confusion pops up, briefly wondering why he offered to marry her if he’s going to kill her.

“I can kill you all at any moment, and your little leader isn’t going to be there to save you.” Carefully Akechi takes her hand from his wrist and presses it against the wall. “Because I killed him myself and saw the blood leak from the hole I put in his head.”

Ryuko feels hot anger rise up inside of her despite knowing Kaito’s alive. “You son of a bitch!” Tears prick at her eyes as the sharp fear of almost loosing her best friend comes back. It swirls inside her chest as she holds back her tears, knowing that’s exactly what Akechi wants. He wants to see her break, to see her sob, to know he’s got the upper hand over her. “You took him from us!!”

Part of this is acting...but a good chunk of it isn’t. Ryuko’s actually scared because she knows deep inside herself that’s been his plan since he got Kaito arrested. He wants them out of the way for some insane reason and if it weren't for that one mistake he made months ago, he would have done it. The thought of loosing everyone, not just Kaito, rushes past her and she feels that familiar protective rage of hers settle inside.

She could easily break this guy in half.

Ryuko works out, always has and the only time she stopped was when her leg was broken. Now that she’s back and stronger than before, she can easily lift every friend she has despite hiding her muscles. Sure some of them are heavy, but hey she likes to challenge herself. But a part of her brain is telling her to let Akechi think she’s just an average girl. It gives her something over him after all.

“That I did.” He presses himself up against Ryuko, making her want to gag. His body is warm despite the chill his tone gives her. His grip on her hair has lessened now, but he keeps her wrist pinned to the wall. “And I can take them all away from you, that is...if you don’t cooperate with me.”

She narrows her eyes at him. “What the hell are you talking about?”

Akechi smiles as he moves and looks into her eyes. “Ryu-chan, there is something I have to admit...I’ve seen to grow quite fond of you over these past few months.”

He sighs, his eyes sliding close as his shoulders shrug with ease. “I know, that must be confusing considering our...current positions. But I can’t deny it anymore, I don’t want to kill you. I wouldn’t have offered to marry you if I didn’t at least find you somewhat charming.”

“Gee thanks.” Ryuko says sarcastically. “I feel so honored...”

“Your mouth does tempt me at times but...you absolutely fascinate me Ryu-chan.” Akechi opens his eyes, his thumb caressing her wrist gently.

“You’re loud, crass, and so rude but you don’t care about that. You say what you want, do what you want, and ignore whatever society calls you. The way you sit, the way you move...I can’t help but find myself captivated by it.” The odd gleam in his eyes makes Ryuko want to puke. It makes her feel like some sort of prey, and he’s a big bad wolf about to gobble her up. “You push me in ways I never thought possible, and you challenge me despite knowing I can kill you. A normal girl your age would be sobbing in the corner, begging not to die. Instead you snarl at me, snap and tell me to fuck off without any hesitation.”

“What’s your point Akechi?” Ryuko hisses, wishing he’d just speed up his crazy and get out already. He sounds like some dumb shojo villain or something...hell she’s pretty sure something like this happened in _Sailor_ _K_ _ni_ _ght_ she watched as a kid or something.

Not that it isn’t creeping her out at all. In fact, he’s doing exactly what he wants and the more he talks the more Ryuko wants to punch him. It’s clear to her now more than ever that there’s a screw loose in Akechi’s head, and she does not want to push him any further.

“My point is...if you cooperate with me, I won’t kill your friends.”

Ryuko feels her stomach drop as she looks up into his eyes. She can tell this offer is real, and it isn’t him just trying to mess with her. Biting her lip Ryuko shakes her head right away.

“Hell no!” She yells gritting her teeth. “What the hell is wrong with you!?”

“Many things, but I’m not surprised you’ve say this now...but I think I can change your mind.” He chuckles shaking his head as his grip on her hair returns. This time however it’s there, not pulling but let’s Ryuko know not to make a move. “All I want is to be around you, talk to you, get to know you better.”

“So you want me to date you...so you don’t kill my friends?” She asks, almost laughing. “Dude, you are really crazy.”

“I wouldn’t exactly call it dating but it’s close.” Akechi sighs a bit dramatically. “But to be completely honest if I have to kill you, I will.”

Ryuko is silent despite the hopeful look he gives her. Akechi rolls his eyes, but he’s smirking now showing he’s not surprised by her glare.

“You know...I’ll give you time to think about this.” He says as he shrugs his shoulders. “I mean I did just surprise you with this among other things. It would only be polite to let you thinks things over, it’s not like you have your friends lives on the line...”

“Screw you.” Ryuko hisses looking down, knowing well he’s not wrong.

“Take your time Ryu-chan...I’ll contact you in a few weeks and ask you again.” He says letting her wrist go. His grip on her hair stays however, keeping her right where he wants her. “I think I over stayed my welcome however. I’ll leave your dinner for you and give you some space to figure out what you want to do.”

Ryuko says nothing to him and just glares at him sharply. Akechi chuckles at her, amused by her expression more than anything. Instead of letting her go however, he pulls on her hair just a bit to make her tilt her head, exposing her neck.

“I almost forgot one thing though...you left a nice little mark on me a few days ago.” He whispers in her ear as he leans closer. “I wanted to return the favor.”

“Wait wha—eek!”

Ryuko’s entire body tenses up when she feels Akechi’s lips on her neck and her free hand lands on his shoulder. Before she can push him away he bites her, sinking his teeth into her sensitive skin before he starts to suck. She hates how good it feels and how she just grips his shoulders so hard her knuckles turn white. Her eyes squeeze shut as he nips at her skin, taking his time to make her squirm.

This goes on for an agonizing long time, with Ryuko just silently wishing he would go away...

When he’s finally done he let’s Ryuko’s hair go and runs his thumb over the dark purple mark on her skin. Unlike Akechi, she she can’t hide with her hair which means everyone’s going to see it. She refuses to open her eyes, as shame eats at her for letting this happen while her skin tingles and she quietly realizes she’s panting.

Finally Akechi moves away from her and she hears him walk around the room doing whatever the hell he wants. He comes to the door way and stops by it.

“I’m sad we couldn’t eat dinner together Ryu-chan, but I’m glad we talked.” He says reaching out to twirl his finger around a bit of her hair. “And I hope we can come to some form of agreement soon...One week from today I’ll come for my answer.”

“Get the hell out of here.” Ryuko grunts turning her head away from him.

She hears him hum as he let’s go of her hair, and reaches out, forcing her to turn her head. Finally she opens her eyes to see he’s got his hat back on and is smiling just the same. It makes her skin crawl just as much as before but now there’s something else there. Something she does not like at all and makes her wonder what that says about herself.

“You know...you’re the first person I’ve found attractive over the years.” Akechi says as his thumb rubs across her cheek. “I didn’t think that until I saw you at the festival, when you wore that yukata.”

He tilts his head as Ryuko forces herself to stay quiet by biting the inside of her cheek. Akechi wants her to react, and there is no way in hell she’s going to give him what he wants.

“At first I thought what a rude and loud girl you were when I saw you at the tv station and I’m not wrong about that...but...” He let’s his hand drop to his side as he pauses. “There’s something about you that makes me want you by my side.”

She catches his eyes, and sees that he’s dropped his smile and looks thoughtful now. His eyes move to the hickey on her throat and points to it.

“You better not hide that.” Akechi grins at the way she narrows her eyes at him.

“Get the fuck out of my apartment.” she turns her head as she crosses her arms. “And go to hell.”

“Hmm, only if you come with me.” Akechi teases with a laugh. “I _will_ see you later Ryu-chan….good night.”

Ryuko hears him walk past towards the front door only to stop and slip his shoes on. When she hears the door open and close Ryuko let’s out a shaky sigh she’d been holding and slowly slides down the wall. When her bottom hits the floor she pulls her knees up, hugging them as she hides her face against them feeling close to crying,

“Dammit..” she hisses punching the floor. “Dammit!!”

She can’t believe she wanted to talk to him, never imagining him to be this bad. Now...now she wishes he had just left her alone.

Because at least then she wouldn’t feel this confused.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This came out faster than I actually planned so I'm kind of happy about that. Unfortunately, because Akechi never shuts up i had to split this chapter in 2 or else it would have ended up over 40 pages. And that is way to much to read for one chapter in my opinion. 
> 
> Akechi was so much fun to write in this despite being a creepy asshole. having him bounce off of Ryuko in this was probably to much fun given the subject. Lol I hope you all enjoyed it too since i put a lot of work into it.
> 
> I want to thank everyone who commented on the previous chapters! you guys are awesome and it really helped motivate me to get this particular chapter out like I did. Lol I'm happy to hear this has an audience despite being so weird. 
> 
> Leave a comment please and thank you for reading!


	3. Chapter 3

Harsh loud banging at her front door is what shakes Ryuko from her spot. Blinking and feeling her limbs a bit stiff, she silently wonders who it could be now. Especially since Akechi left just a bit ago. Or...at least she thinks he did.

“Ryuko!! Are you in there!? Ryuko!”

Feeling her heart jump at the voice Ryuko rushes to the door and throws it open to reveal Ann standing there. She looks so frightened as she launches herself at her friend, pulling her into at tight hug that Ryuko returns. It only last for a moment before Ann is pushing her away.

“Where the hell is that bastard!?” She yells digging through her bag to produce a whip. In fact Ryuko’s pretty sure it’s her newest one and she’s seen what it can do. “I’m sorry it took me so long to get here Ryuko!! I got confused by what you meant by a _bird_ problem. Then it hit me and I got here as fast as I could!”

For a second Ryuko’s a bit taken back but her brain catches up and a warm feeling swells inside her chest.

Oh Ann...she’s too sweet.

“He’s left a while ago so don’t worry.” Ryuko says as she closes the door. Ann rushes to her side, bending down to rip her shoes off.

It’s clear she ran out of the house not really thinking of what she was wearing. With black yoga pants and a blue hoodie Ryuko knows for a fact belongs to Kaito, Ann looks like a bit of a mess. Even her usual pigtails are missing as her long hair bounces free. She takes hold of Ryuko’s shoulders gently as she sighs in relief.

“He did? Are you okay? Did he...” Ann’s eyes drift to the hickey on Ryuko’s neck and gasps. She growls, reminding her friend of an actual big cat while her grip on her shoulders tighten. “That son of a bitch!! I’ll destroy him!!”

Ryuko realizing what she’s looking at claps her hand over her neck and feels her cheeks burn. “W-wait Ann calm down it’s...it’s complicated.”

“Did he do anything else to you?” She asks looking scared, but still very pissed off.

“N-no he didn’t but...” Ryuko bites her lips as she shakes her head. “I...I...I...”

Tears start to roll down her cheeks as a dam of emotions breaks inside of her. Ryuko pushes forward, wrapping her arms around Ann as she buries her face into her shoulder. Ann hugs her back pulling her as close as she can as her friends sobs. Gently, she runs her fingers through Ryuko’s short hair trying her best to calm her down.

“Shhh Ryuko...I’m here. It’s okay now...” Ann says softly, blinking away her own tears. “You’re safe...”

She does feel safe in Ann’s arms despite all her fears and worries. Ann’s hugs always make her feel right at home, and it’s exactly what Ryuko needs after the hour she had with Akechi. She’s soft, warm, and smells lightly of a pretty perfume that makes her really believe nothing else can go wrong.

Unfortunately she’s not naive enough to believe that.

Ryuko sniffs and shakes her head as she pushes back, letting Ann wipe away her tears with her hoodie’s sleeve.

“N-no it's not okay; shit went down Ann...and I don’t know what to do any more.” She tries not to sob her words but her voice cracks and she wails just a tiny bit. Ann easily wipes away the new tears without a word.

“Ryuko...what happened?” Ann asks again as she cups her friends face.

“C-can you keep an s-secret?” Ryuko stutters as she sniffs and wipes her nose. “I-I thought I could h-handle it on my own but shit...I-I can’t.”

“Of course I can.” Ann says a she leans her forehead against Ryuko’s. “You know you can trust me silly and I won’t say a word to the others. I’ll pinky swear it.”

Ryuko laughs at her words and shakes her head. “You don’t have to go that far Ann.”

“Yeah, well it’s what we use to do in middle school when we had a secret.” She points out gently, tucking a bit of Ryuko’s bangs behind her ears. “C’mon it might make you feel better.”

Ann holds her hand in front of Ryuko’s face with her pinky sticking out. Smiling a bit Ryuko wraps her own around it, finding it weird how the old saying quickly comes back to her.

“ _Finger cut-off, ten thousands fist punching, whoever lies has to swallow a thousand needles.”_

They chant this, swing their hands down together and forcing their pinky’s apart. Oddly enough it _does_ make Ryuko feel better, even with it being silly as all get out. Taking a deep breath and letting it out, a warm calm takes over, and she feels just a little less freaked. Ryuko’s lucky she has Ann back as a friend as she remembers back to the days Kamoshida started his shit with her.

Even to this day she has nightmares over dealing with that man on her own. But now...she’s not alone anymore.

“Lemme go make some tea.” Ann says as she takes Ryuko’s hand and leads her towards the kitchen. “No wait, do you have hot cocoa? That sounds way better.”

“Yeah kaa-san just bought some new stuff.” Ryuko says, feeling herself smile, happy to see Ann still goes for the sweet things. “Thank you Ann.”

“No problem. You’re one of my best friends Ryuko...and us girls have to stick together.” She says wrapping an arm around her shoulder. “So take your time, and I’ll listen.”

“Thank you. I really needed this.”

With that said Ann goes to work on making their hot cocoa while Ryuko cleans up the living room. She dumps the dinner Akechi bought for her, not wanting to touch it despite everything. It’s just better to get rid of everything he touched, outside of the new comforter her mother bought. She’ll put that on before her mom gets home, that way she has to deal with it less. For the moment she puts it away in her mother's room, feeling better now that it's out of sight.

After a few minutes Ryuko finds herself sitting next to Ann a warm cup of cocoa in her hands. She takes a sip, enjoying the rich flavor of the chocolate and the warmth that settles in her stomach. Despite the quiet, and Ann letting her take her time it's hard to find the right words. The runner finds herself hesitating, wondering where to start as Ann sips at her mug and trying her best not to stare. Part of her isn’t really sure where to start with this whole mess...but she has to start somewhere, so why not at the start?

So with a deep breath, Ryuko begins to tell Ann everything making sure to leave nothing out.

* * *

“Ryuko, are you going to be okay?”

Ann’s soft voice makes Ryuko open her eyes slowly, letting her eyes adjust to the living room’s dim lighting. Turning her head she sees her friend laying next to her under the kotatsu, looking worried. Quietly Ann reaches out and begins to stroke Ryuko’s hair which makes her close her eyes again.

It’s been a while since she explained to her friend everything, and it feels like a huge weight has been lifted off. There is still a bit of fear, mixing with the now familiar stress and shame but it feels much lighter than before. Ryuko hates holding back information like she has been, and it’s nice to have Ann know.

Especially since she didn’t judge which is something Ryuko is thankful for. By the end of her story all Ann really wanted to do was strangle Akechi to death for hurting her friend. A part of Ryuko figured that would be Ann’s reaction, knowing well the girl’s just as, if not more protective than herself. There had been a bit of doubt despite that, with Ryuko remembering how they had drifted apart when they started high school.

She had no one when she first had to deal with Kamoshida, and that scars he left from that time made Ryuko afraid it’d just be the same thing all over again. But no, Ann came rushing over with no pigtails and her PJs.

It reminded Ryuko she’s really not alone, and she’s so happy to have Ann stay over for the night.

“Yeah I think I will be.” Ryuko says as she shifts just a bit closer to Ann. “Just...tired."

“I bet.” Ann says gently, tucking a bit of Ryuko’s hair behind her ears. “Dealing with Akechi sounds exhausting.”

Ryuko snorts at this, nodding her head in agreement. “It is...but...” She pauses as she thinks, her eyes sliding open to look at Ann.

She’s worried for her, Ryuko can see that as Ann places her hand over hers and gives it a squeeze.

“But what? The guy sounds like he’s gone off the deep end.” Ann says with a huff, before sneering. “If he ever tries to hurt you, I swear to god there will be nothing left of him.”

Ryuko laughs at Ann’s words smiling. “Thank you Ann...I appreciate it. But I was saying...I...I get his fear over becoming like his father…”

Ann is quiet for a bit as her eyes widen, then they soften. She pulls her friend closer, and starts to stroke her hair once more. “Ryuko.”

“I’ve always been afraid I’d turn into _him_ one day.” Ryuko admits feeling her stomach roll. “I get my temper from him you know? And it takes a lot to control it some days...it’s gotten better since you all became my friends but I still get scared.”

“But you’re not your father...I mean you don’t drink, and when you get mad it’s usually about something we’re all upset about.” Ann points out gently.

“Yeah but I get over emotional compared to all of you.” Sighing softly the runner closes her eyes. “When Suzui jumped way back in April, I was seeing red. I could have literally killed Kamoshida that day with my bare hands...I think the only reason I held back was because of Kaito. If he hadn’t been there to stop my punch I...”

Ryuko stops feeling close to crying once again. It takes a few deep breaths but soon she calms herself and let’s out a slow shaky breath. “And that isn’t the only time. You’ve seen me when we’re fightin’ shadows. I’m effin’ brutal, even when they’re screaming for mercy you guys have to pull me off sometimes. I think the only person who’s scarier than me is Haru.”

Ann is quiet as she watches her friend, running her fingers through Ryuko's hair as she opens her eyes. It helps Ryuko keep herself under control despite the fear building in her chest. The worried look on her friend’s face makes her heart ache, feeling horrible for making this sweet girl worry.

“So in a weird disjointed way I think I understand Akechi’s fear of becoming his father and it makes me hard to hate him...because some days I get scared that I already am mine.” Ryuko feels tears roll down her cheek as the words leave her lips.

In the dim light she can see Ann is crying too. Sniffing and wiping away her own, she hugs Ryuko, making her lay her head against her chest. Ann’s light perfume wraps around her, as the girl’s arms hold her tight. The warmth drifting off of her calms Ryuko down, making her feel safe and sound.

“Oh Ryuko...don’t say that about yourself.” Ann says gently, shaking her head. “You’re nothing like him, trust me; we all have our dark sides that come out when we’re fighting.”

Ryuko knows Ann is right, and while her words comfort her, a bit of fear sticks and always will. She’ll always second guess herself; wondering if this is right or wrong. Terrified of the day her anger will get the better of her...it’s something she’ll never ever stop questioning, and she accepted that a long time ago.

Despite this, having Ann hold her and say those soft words makes things a million times better.

“Thank you Ann.” She says sniffing a bit and pushing her back. “I really needed that.”

“I’m glad I could help.” Ann says as she let’s her go. “Ryuko….you’re a really good person, and I’m not just saying that to make you feel better. I mean it; don’t you forget that okay?”

Smiling and nodding her head Ryuko finds herself agreeing. “Yeah I won’t.”

“Good.” Ann is grinning as she brushes Ryuko’s hair from her face one more time.

She sighs a bit as she rolls onto her back and stares up at the dark ceiling as she squints her eyes.

“But...do you think Akechi could really kill us all?” Ann says as she starts to nervously chew her lip. “I mean he’s a smart bastard but come one, he can’t be that powerful...can he?”

“I dunno to be honest.” Ryuko says as she moves to lay on her back as well. “But I think it’d be stupid to at least not take his threat seriously. I mean he did almost kill Kaito after all and we know someone’s using him and they’ve got a lot of power. Wouldn’t be to hard to make a group of teenagers die in what looks to be accidents and shit.”

“You do have a point.” Ann groans as he holds out her arms in front of her, waving them a bit in frustration. She let’s them fall down to her side after a few more waves, grunting as she pouts. “I just hate that he’s targeting you just because you had sex. It’s not _that_ big of a deal.”

“Ann you literally have two boyfriends, of course it’s not a big deal to you.” Ryuko snorts at her friend’s words, nudging her side gently with her elbow. “And I think it’s a bit more complicated than us having sex.”

“We’re not technically dating...officially...but I guess you’re right.” Ann says with a tilt of her head thinking of Kaito and Yusuke. “But still...it sounds like he’s gotten some weird and dumb idea in his head that if he threatens us that you’ll bend over backwards to keep us safe. Did he really not think you wouldn’t tell us anything?”

“I have no clue.” Ryuko admits with ease shrugging her shoulders. “He’s a jealous ass, so who knows. Maybe he doesn’t like sharing or some stupid shit like that.”

“Well if he think she can get away with trying to hurt you he’s got another thing coming. Akechi tries anything funny I will make him sorry he was ever born.” She huffs at that glaring at the ceiling.

“Thanks Ann.” Ryuko smiles a bit as she nudges her friend with her elbow once more. “I’m glad we’re friends again...I really missed you.”

Ann hums softly as she finds, and squeezes Ryuko’s hand under the kotatsu blanket. “I’m glad we’re friends again too Ryuko.”

They talk a bit after this, mostly about school and plans to do other things over the week in between their phantom thief stuff. As it gets later, their talking slows down and soon they fall asleep together.

* * *

Hearing her door bell go off, Sakamoto Atsuko looks up from her TV show to glance at the front door. Pausing she thinks, quietly realizes she’s not expecting any packages and her daughter never mentioned anything today either. Not to mention she hasn’t ordered any food seeing as Ryuko’s running around today. So, who this could be is a bit of a mystery to Atsuko.

In the back of her mind she briefly wonders could it be... _him_?

No.

No, there’s no chance it could be her ex-husband since she made sure there would be no way he could find them. Besides, it would be odd for him to pop up now of all times considering things. So Atsuko takes a moment to calm herself down before standing up and heading to the front door.

She peaks out the little peephole and is a bit surprised to see a handsome young man standing there. He looks to be about her daughter’s age so maybe it’s one Ryuko’s friends? Atsuko tries to remember if Ryuko said anything today about someone coming over, but she draws a blank.

‘ _Maybe she forgot something?’_ Atsuko thinks as she unlocks her door, smiling a bit. _‘Totally possible since this is Ryuko_ _I’m_ _talking about.’_

Upon opening the door and peaking outside Atsuko is a bit taken back by the fact that _Akechi Goro_ is standing in front of her. While she isn’t that interested in the so called Detective Prince, a few of her co-workers are fans of his. The older woman just love to giggle over how cute this young man is, along with mentioning how some of their daughters are fans too.

Which makes her wonder...why is he here?

As she watches him, Atsuko quietly realizes he looks to be a bit out of breath on top of sweating. Despite this he appears as if he’s trying to act casual...and doing a pretty good job of it in a sense.

He blinks at the older woman, clearly surprised to see her answer the door. A small nervous little smile comes to his lips.

“Hello there, I apologize for bothering you around dinner time but if I may ask, is Sakamoto Ryuko home?” He presses a hand to his chest. “I’m a friend of hers and she left a manga behind at the cafe we were at earlier this week. I was in the neighborhood so I figured I’d return it today.”

“I’m sorry but my daughter isn’t home at the moment.” Atsuko says quickly, tilting her head. “I don’t think she’ll be back until later too. Did you try to call her or is she not answering her phone?”

“Unfortunately yes, she’s not.” The young man looks a bit dejected as his head tilts down. “Hearing she’s not home is making me worry for her a bit. _Or she’s ignoring me..._ ”

His last words were a whisper, and make Atsuko’s stomach twist a bit. Despite his sad look, there’s something in his eyes that makes her skin crawl. Ryuko has never mentioned meeting Akechi once to her, and usually she always talks about her friends. Atsuko remembers how excited she’d been back in April when she made friends with the one called Kaito, and how she rekindled her old friendship with Ann.

Ryuko’s attitude has done a complete turn around compared to how she’d been when school was set to start again. Not that Atsuko blames her of course...part of her is still upset she didn’t convince her daughter to go to a different school considering what had happened the previous year. However, seeing her daughter bloom as she gets more friends has been great even if she hasn’t been home for dinner as much as before.

“Hmm I wouldn’t worry to much about Ryuko. If there’s any girl out there who can take care of herself it’s her.” Atsuko says making the young man look up. “If anything she’s probably distracted with hanging out with her other friends.”

Akechi takes in her words, his hand coming to cup his chin as he looks away in thought. She watches his eyes dart around, while his face a blank slate. Then he frowns while narrowing his gaze, as if a nasty thought has come to mind.

“I understand, thank you Sakamoto-san.” He says dropping his hand to his side. “I just have one more question for you if you don’t mind answering.”

“Not at all, what’s your question?”

For a moment he pauses, clearly thinking of the best way to ask this. “Do you...by any chance know which friend she might be with? She just introduced me to her friends the other day so I might know where she’s at.”

For some reason...Atsuko almost feels like she should slam the door in this boys face. There’s a dark shade to his tone despite the lightness still there. She’s never been the best at reading people, but for some odd reason this young man is starting to give her the creeps. It makes her curious if he’s even her daughter’s friend, especially if she is maybe ignoring his calls.

At the same time...a gut feeling tells her she should tell him the truth. The more she speaks with this young man, the more she can feel there is something is off about him. She’s always thought this since he started to get popular now that she thinks about it.

Part of her regrets her words, but she’s also confident if he tries something with her daughter she’d break his arm. She knows her kid works out, Atsuko’s seen the muscle she’s gained over the year.

“Well...I do remember her mentioning she was going to meet up with her friend Kaito-kun last night. So she's probably with him.”

The way his eyes widen makes a chill go down Atsuko’s spine as he stares down at her. For a moment she sees his lips twitch into a sneer, but it’s gone in a blink of an eye. Now he’s smiling at her, sweet as can be and gives her a bit of a bow.

“Thank you Sakamoto-san, and I apologize for taking up your time.” He says as he turns away.

“Oh, what about the thing you wanted to drop off? I can take it for you.” Atsuko says kicking herself just a bit.

Every warning light is flashing inside her head, making her want Akechi to just be gone. But at the same time...what if he runs into her daughter using that excuse? She’d never forgive herself if Ryuko was hurt because of her mouth.

Slowly Akechi turns to look at her, appearing more annoyed that she stopped him than anything else. Despite that the pleasant smile he has is still there and he shakes his head.

“Thank you, but I think I know where your daughter is.” Akechi says as he turns his back to her. “And I’m heading to the same spot so I’ll just drop it off with her there. Again, thank you for your time and have a good night.”

“Y-yeah...” Atsuko watches Akechi leave, and feels a slight chill as a cool wind blows by.

Biting her lip she steps back into her apartment and closes the door gently. She proceeds to lock the door and pauses as she mulls something over. It feels as if she did something... _wrong,_ but she can’t quite put her finger on what.

Whatever it is, she silently hopes her daughter will be okay and plans to ask Ryuko if anything happened. She’d been acting a bit odd from time to time over the past few weeks but Atsuko just chalked it up to something with school.

Now after meeting Akechi...she silently hopes her daughter isn’t in a bad spot again.

* * *

They got the last letter…

It’s been a week since they finally figured out who the master mind behind everything, and infiltrated Shido’s palace. Ryuko can’t help the sigh of relief that escapes her lips as they take the last letter from the cleaner. Watching Kaito pocket the simple little thing, feels great especially after all the work they’ve done. Shido Masayoshi's palace has been a freaking pain in the ass like himself.

“Whoo man that was a bit of a tough spot!” Ryuko sighs as she stretches her arms above her head. “Good job everyone!”

“And now all we need to do is use these letters, and then send a calling card.” Makoto says with a smile. “Then we can really end this.”

“Joker will be able to go back out on the streets without worrying about if people will recognize him or not!” Ann says excitedly. “Which to be honest is a good thing. You have been going a bit stir crazy.”

Kaito shrugs his shoulders at Ann’s words smirking a bit. “You should have visited more with Fox. I wouldn't have been so antsy for sure with you two keeping me busy.”

Ann’s mouth drops open as she gasps, pushing Kaito back with a bit of a rough shove. “Oh shut up you!” She yells stomping her foot. “Keep teasing like that and all you’ll be getting is a fat lip.”

“But we visited many times...was our time together not satisfactory?” Yusuke says next, sounding just a bit hurt as he tilts his head.

“See! Now you went and made Fox feel bad!” Ann points out with a huff. She wraps her arms around Yusuke’s arm, giving it a bit of a hug.

“I was just joking.” Kaito says with a laugh shaking his head. “Nah everything’s fine Fox, I just felt like pulling your guy’s chains a little.”

“A little too much if you ask me.” Makoto says with a sigh. “Can we please focus? We’re so close to the treasure now; one little misstep and everything will be ruined.”

Despite watching and laughing with her friends, Ryuko knows Makoto’s right. They’re so close to finishing that bastard Shido off, that to get distracted would be a bad move. Despite this she does find how Kaito teases Ann and Yusuke to be cute, which causes bit of guilt does rise up. She has been taking up Ann’s time over the past week, mostly to talk about Akechi and worry about pregnancy.

There have been no side effects, but there’s also been no period so Ryuko’s been getting a bit more worried than she usually does. She knows from experience it should be soon, but well...the anticipation is killing her.

She does not want to be pregnant with Akechi’s kid...especially after the bullshit he pulled last week.

“Hey Skull, you okay?”

Futaba’s poke at her cheek wakes the girl from her thoughts as she shakes her head. She forces a quick grin to her lips and nods her head. “Oh yeah I’m fine. Just thinking about shit.”

“Wow Skull, you’re thinking about stuff? That’s a new development!” Morgona’s snide voice makes the runner look down at the cat next to her feet.

With a growl and she kicks out at the cat who yowls as he jumps back. “Oh shove sock in it ya stupid cat! I’ve got lots of shit to think about for your information!”

“Oh dear Mona, you should be nicer to Skull.” Haru says as she crouches down next to him. “She’s been a bit stressed about a few things, right?”

Ryuko feels her face heat up again at the girl’s soft voice as she shrugs. “Yeah a little bit, but it’s gotten a bit better.”

She looks at Ann, curious if she said anything to the other girls. When she shakes her head, that’s enough for Ryuko to figure out Haru’s been paying attention. Doesn’t help that the dumb hickey the guy left is still there. Thankfully Ann’s a master with make-up and they’ve been able to hide it each day before they go to school, and each time they get out of the palace. Killing shadows works up a sweat after all.

It’s faded a bit, but it’s still there reminding Ryuko of the real Akechi she’s dealt with.

If they can just defeat Shido, then they can deal with Akechi too. And once they’re gone...it means that they really have won in the end. All they have to do is work together like they always do and everything will be okay.

“Anyways, we should head out.” Kaito says slipping his hands into his pockets. “We just need to put those letters into the door and then we’ll call it a night.”

“That sounds like a great idea.” Ryuko says with a groan. “I dunno about you guys but I’m exhausted.”

Just about everyone groans a bit here and there as they start to walk out of the room. Kaito and Makoto begin to talk to one another about plans for tomorrow and a quick discussion about whether they should send the calling card now or later. Ryuko starts to tune this out, feeling herself relax ever so slightly.

There’s a lot ahead of them, and she can feel in her bones that the fight with Shido will be a tough one. With how complicated this palace has been, on top of finding out about everything he’s done it’s clear Shido’s the big and last boss of this whole mess. Which means he’s going to know a few more tricks than the previous palace rulers they’ve taken down.

Then of course there’s Akechi and she is totally not looking forward to dealing with that jerk.

She knows he’ll be popping up soon to have his answer or whatever, but honestly she does not want to deal with him. Ryuko plans to tell him to fuck off of course, especially since he has zero power over her. He may act like it in the end but really, she’s not scared of him.

She has her friends behind her no matter what; Ann confirmed that for her last week. So she’s totally sure they can take on whatever he’s going to throw at them, especially since they know all his tricks. And not to mention she knows for sure he’s got a bit of a screw loose so if he does lose it like he did last week, she’ll be able to handle him.

At least now she can punch him without feeling guilty about it.

“You okay Skull?”

Feeling Kaito’s hand pat her shoulder she blinks out of her thoughts and smiles at him. “Oh yeah I’m fine. Just thinkin’ about shit.”

“Really? What’s got you so quiet then?” Kaito tilt’s his head to the side, letting her know he’s curious.

“Trying to decided what ramen we should have when we go celebrate at our usual spot.” Ryuko grins at him as she shrugs her shoulders, feeling just a tiny bit bad about lying to him.

She knows better than anyone how jealous of Kaito Akechi is, and while she wants to tell him things she’s still embarrassed. It’s so odd; ever since she met the guy, despite not trusting him right away, she’s told him almost everything. Kaito’s her best friend, the first person not to think she was crazy for accusing Kamoshida of breaking her leg. Telling him about the whole thing with Akechi should be easy...should being the key word there.

Maybe it’s because he tried to kill Kaito, or maybe it’s something else but for some reason she can’t admit to her best friend she had sex with Akechi.

Or...maybe Akechi’s right and she does have a thing for Kaito?

Looking Kaito straight in the eye she leans a bit forward as she tilts her head. Kaito’s smile drops as he comes to a stop, leaning just a bit back away from Ryuko. He looks a bit nervous at her sudden change in attitude.

However the more she stares at him the more she realizes...there is nothing there. All she sees is a worried Kaito staring right back at her. He’s dropped the cool facade he puts on when they’re in a palace and looks like the normal student she hangs out with after school. The dorky one she’s seen face plant on a treadmill since he put the speed up to high, the weirdo who ate a million of those giant burgers, and of course the nerd who read up on all their persona’s...yeah Ryuko’s got no attraction to this dork at all.

“Yeah you are a dork.” She mumbles to herself shaking her head.

“Uhh...okay?” Kaito laughs nervously at this. “You sure you’re doing alright Skull?”

“Mmm...yeah I am. But...” Ryuko tilts her had a bit noticing the others have stopped. Ann is a bit closer than she usually is but she takes that as a good sign. “After we take down Akechi I do need to talk to you about some shit.”

“Alright.” Kaito says with a nod of his head, relaxing a bit. “We can talk about it over that ramen then.”

Ryuko’s cheeks heat up a bit as she shakes her head. “N-nah trust me...it’d be better if we did it in private.”

Kaito hums a bit to himself, confused by her words. “Okay then, how about we talk it over curry at the cafe then? Just the two of us?”

“That...that would be perfect--”

Ryuko cuts herself off, as the feeling of someone staring at her back hits her. Given the serious expression on Kaito’s face and the rest of their team it’s clear they feel the same presence. They turn around and Ryuko’s chest tightens as she watches Akechi jump down from the ceiling and lands with grace.

Slowly he stands up, and begins to walk straight at them as his eyes focusing on Kaito, gleaming with cold rage.

* * *

“Long time no see.”

Akechi’s words drift across as he comes to a stop a few feet from them. Ryuko’s familiar with the look, remembering it well from their talk last week. Kaito, for all he’s worth, handles the glare easily, his hands sliding into his pockets as if a fight isn’t about to start. Everyone else however, is more than ready to take down the traitor before them.

“Crow!” Makoto yells.

“Why’s he here!?” Futaba yells from the back. “I didn’t even see his signal!”

“Hmph...I’m impressed that you all managed to deceive me somehow.” Akechi says smoothly his attention focusing on their leader for a moment. “It seems I underestimated your abilities...along with your acting skills Ryu-chan.”

He grins at her as she tenses, and feels her friend’s stares focus on her. Slowly breathing in and out, Ryuko controls her anger as she narrows his eyes at him. Akechi wants a reaction from her, same as last time, but no way in hell is she going to give him the satisfaction.

“Skull did you talk to Crow recently?” Makoto looks at her, coming a bit closer.

“...Yeah about a week ago.” Ryuko admits after glancing at Ann who twirls her hair nervously. “It was nothing big so I didn’t think it was worth mentioning.”

That’s not exactly a straight out lie, but Ryuko feels saying something like that than denying things is better. Add on she’d rather not talk about what exactly went down when she saw Akechi last, and finds it hard not to nervously rub at the covered hickey he left.

“You should have still told us.” Haru says shaking her head. “Even if you didn’t think it was a big thing, it kind of is considering who Crow is and what he’s done.”

“Hmm I thought you told your friends everything Ryu-chan...I wonder what else you could be hiding.” Akechi hums to himself as he tilts his head.

Ryuko feels a bit of panic rise inside as her leg starts to bounce. Biting her lip she forces down the yell that threatens to come and just glares at him, daring him to say anything else. Unfortunately for her Akechi takes the dare and tilts his head up to show his smirk.

“But I’m completely serious in my compliment about your acting.” He continues on chuckling lightly. “That little show you gave me last week was amazing! You deserve an award for keeping me in the dark like you did...and here I thought your anger always got the best of you.”

“Fuck you!” Ryuko snaps out, her hands gripping into tight fists. Instantly she regrets this, slapping a hand over her mouth as she watches that smirk of his grow wider.

Shit, shit! ...She gave him what he wanted.

“You already _have_...oops...that was my mistake. I was supposed to keep that between us wasn’t I?”

Ryuko feels her stomach drop at his words, as her eyes widen and a hushed silence falls over them. Anger rushes through her fast as she steps forward, only stopping when Ann grabs her arm and yanks her back.

“You son of a bitch!!” Ryuko yells feeling panic rise inside. Ann keeps her in place, pulling her each time she tries to struggle away. “You shut your mouth!!”

“S-Skull...what is he talking about?” Makoto’s soft voice reaches her ears, making the runner stop her fighting. “Did you guys...”

“Yes, we have been...quite... _intimate_ haven’t we Ryu-chan?” Akechi crosses his arms, that infuriating smirk still on his face. “Oh come now, aren’t you going to tell your so called _friends_ about how you slept with the enemy? Not even how you begged me to touch you? Actually I’m surprised they didn’t hear us given how loud you were.”

Ryuko’s face burns as she nervously looks at her friends. She hates how the masks hide their emotions and but she knows they’re shocked despite this. “I...It’s...I mean...” She head drops while shame eats at her, feeling almost dizzy with how fast everything is going.

Looking down at her feet, words fail to come to Ryuko’s lips as she hugs herself. All her anger is gone in an instant as she feels everyone’s eyes on her, making her want to crawl into a hole and die. This is what she’s been afraid of ever since _it_ happened. Keeping the whole event to herself for the rest of her life had been the plan, especially since she never imagined Akechi would admit it so easily. How can she explain that things got out of hand thanks to that pink goo the shadow sprayed on them?

Ann’s warm arm wraps around her shoulders, pulling Ryuko close and making her drop her arms to her side in surprise.“That’s enough Akechi! You know damn well that she had zero control over herself as much as you did too. It was that pink goo shit that shadow sprayed on you both that made it happen!”

“A-Ann.” Ryuko looks up at her, tears pricking at the corner of her eyes.

After Ann’s yell Futaba comes up behind Ryuko, wrapping her arms around her middle and squeezing her tightly. Makoto slowly reaches out and takes Ryuko’s hand, squeezing it gently as Yusuke places a hand on her back. Haru takes her other hand into her own, squeezing it gently as she gives her a small smile. Even Morgana hugs her leg, making Ryuko glance down at the little cat creature.

Finally Kaito reaches out and places his own warm hand on top of her head and ruffles her hair, giving her a warm smile.

Ryuko feels a few tears roll down her cheeks as all her friends gather around her and sniffs. “G-guys?”

“Hey whatever happened doesn’t mean anything okay?” Futaba says, giving her a tight squeeze. “You’re still our friend Skull.”

“Oracle is correct.” Yusuke says smiling a bit as he nods his head. “You are a dear friend to us all.”

“You probably didn’t want us to think anything less of you, so I can understand why you’d hide that.” Haru says as she moves just a bit closer. “If I were in the same situation as yourself, I’d die of embarrassment!”

“Don’t let him get you down.” Makoto says next, placing her other hand on top Ryuko’s. “He’s just trying to mess with your head.”

“Oh please, are we really going to do this?” Akechi rolls his eyes, shaking his head. “But fine, go on and do your little friendship is unbreakable bit. I can wait.”

“That’s right Akechi!” Morgana says letting Ryuko’s leg go. He keeps one paw on her limb as he looks up at her. “I may give Skull a hard time, but you know something, she’s a kind and loyal girl who doesn’t deserve to hear what you’re saying about her. Even if you did get intimate you have no right to speak about her that way!”

“Mona’s right! If you keep running your mouth about my friend, I won’t hesitate to shut it for you!” Ann says pointing at Akechi. “I abandoned her once, but I promised myself I’d never do that again! Go ahead, talk shit about Ryuko and I’ll make sure you’ll regret it!”

“Ann...” Ryuko sniffs as she feels more tears come, this time not stopping no matter how much she blinks. “Guys...sh-shit..you’re making me cry!”

Makoto let’s go of her hand to let her push her her mask up a bit so she can wipe her eyes. She does so as a few more tears come, and is a bit surprised when Kaito reaches out to help.

“Its okay Ryuko...I figured something like that happened.” He admits with a shrug.

“Y-you did?” She asks feeling a few more tears come. Kaito’s way to good at reading people, so much so that it kind of scares her. At the same time, she’s weirdly glad for it.

“Yeah, but you didn’t say anything and I thought it would be better to let you do what you needed to do.” Kaito looks her dead in the eyes as he explains things. “And I want you to know I don’t give a shit about what happened. You are my best friend...the first one I made here...and I know you better than he does. If he thinks some nasty words and tearing you down will get us to turn on you, then he’s in for some surprises.”

“Kaito...man...You...you are all way to good to me.” She says with a laugh as she let’s her head hang. “But thank you...”

Ryuko sniffs a bit more and wipes her eyes before taking a deep breath. When she let’s it out the runner lifts her head and pulls down her mask. She feels a grin comes to her lips as Akechi glares at her when she points at him.

“You see this Akechi? This is why Kaito’s got friends!” Ryuko snaps at him, watching him sneer. “You can say whatever the hell you want, but all I’m gonna see is a little brat throwing a fit because he’s jealous that Kaito’s got more going on for him than he ever will!!”

Akechi grits his teeth at Ryuko’s words, and she can see rage burning inside of him. He grips his hands into fists as he takes a moment to regain himself before he starts to laugh. Shaking his head as he controls himself, Akechi starts to clap.

“Ahh well done, well done!” Akechi sighs as he shrugs his shoulders. “You do all continue to amaze me, even after everything I’ve said. I have to admit you all are truly an interesting group of individuals.!

He cups his chin before he continues, appearing to be lost in thought.

“Especially you Joker.” he looks at Kaito who watches him with, as everyone else moves away from Ryuko. There’s no telling when this guy will attack, so it doesn’t hurt to be prepared for it. “You’re quiet, yet possess the courage and determination to take action while staying loyal to your friends. Not to mention your skill at reading people.”

“Then there’s you Ryu-chan. Loud, obnoxious, but you have a kind heart as your friends say, and loyal to a fault.” He pauses as he thinks, looking to be a bit sad. “To be honest, I wish we could have all met before this...Under different circumstances I believe we could have been great rivals...or perhaps even friends?”

“He isn’t lying.” Ryuko says feeling her heart squeeze. Akechi’s tone is similar to when he spoke about marrying her. He’d been sincerer then, wanting to help and make sure he didn’t make the same mistakes as his father. She gets that feeling all to well as Ryuko softens a bit, even after he tried to get her friends to turn on her. In the end, she can’t help the empathy she has for him knowing what it’s like to worry about becoming your own father.

It’s such an odd feeling, but it’s one she’s come to accept over the past week, realizing it’s better to do so than to try and reject it.

Kaito glances at Ryuko before looking at Akechi once more. “You know...we might already be rivals? Every great phantom thief needs a detective rival after all.”

He offers it as a joke, trying to lighten the air despite Akechi’s previous attitude and words. Akechi laughs at it, holding his stomach as he takes in Kaito’s words. Everyone stares at him despite this, clearly still upset over how he treated their friend.

“How wonderful!” Akechi exclaims grinning at him. “Even now you don’t allow yourself to be enslaved by such things as human relations or past selves...And so you heart is always free. That is the exact opposite of mine...to be honest Ryu-chan you are correct. I am envious of Joker.”

He looks at her, biting his lips as Ann takes hold of Ryuko’s hand. “I really do wonder why we couldn’t have met a few years earlier, Kaito...You as well Ryu-chan. A part of me wishes you would have come into my life before this...You make _feel_ things I’ve never felt before and to be honest I have no ideal how to handle these emotions at times..”

Ryuko’s cheeks go a bit read, making her really thankful her mask covers her cheeks. She’s never really had anyone tell her this before and it’s kind of confusing hearing it from Akechi. Especially since the asshole was trying to make her out to be some kind of slut a few minutes ago and have her friends turn against her. In the end him switching around so fast is making this whole encounter a lot more confusing that Ryuko originally thought it would be. 

His words make it even more clear to her how much he struggles at times, and kind of hates that part of herself that empathizes with him. It makes this situation more complicated than what Ryuko likes, but again, she’s not going to reject it. Doing so would just make it a nastier situation than it already is.

“Akechi...” Ryuko takes a step forward, feeling Ann tug her back. She shakes her head, squeezing her friend’s hand gently. Ryuko stays put, knowing Ann’s right since there’s no telling what he’ll do next, so better to stay together.

“But...there is no use in talking about a hypothetical situations.” Akechi looks down at this tearing his eyes away from Ryuko’s. “Neither of those things happened in reality...”

“Akechi! Why are you cooperating with someone like Shido!?” Makoto speaks out next, taking a step forward. "Can't you see what this palace looks like!? His true nature is--”

“Cooperating…?” Akechi crosses his arms at Makoto’s words. Ryuko can feel the change of air between them now, reminding her of when he lost it last week. “What are you talking about? I don’t care for that bastard Shido, or this country. In the end all of this is to make Shido Masayoshi...my _father_...acknowledge me.”

* * *

Ryuko feels her stomach drop at his words and that rush of understanding comes back. Oh boy...she knew his father was bad but like...not this _bad_. As she stands there, thinking about things everything he has said to her and the others so far suddenly makes sense. No wonder why he was so focused on trying to marry her if she was pregnant…

“Then I will exact my revenge on him."

That line throws Ryuko for a loop, realizing that Akechi is a bit farther down on the whole “I hate my father” rabbit hole than she is. And she’s pretty far down that hole herself...

“Wait, Shido is your father!?” Yusuke asks in surprise as Akechi barely spares him a glance.

Akechi looks between Ryuko and Kaito before he speaks, placing a hand on his hip. “Remember I told you both before, how my mother had been in a relationship with some good-for-nothing man? I’m the end result of that situation, Shido’s bastard child. My very existence is nothing but a scandal...”

He smiles bitterly as he turns his head away from them. “My mother’s life turned for the worst after she had me...and died. I was a cursed child for her too.”

“That’s horrible...” Ann says giving Ryuko’s hand another squeeze.

‘ _You don’t know the worse of it Ann...’_ Ryuko thinks biting her lip. _‘She committed suicide because of him...no...because of Shido. He must have left them with nothing, told her to fuck off and did nothing for Akechi and his mom...’_

Ryuko wants to destroy Shido’s face now, as she feels a familiar anger rise up inside of her. Part of her is curious as to why she’s so surprised a man did this. After all outside of Kaito, Yusuke, and Sojiro there’s never been any one of them to prove to her that men won’t just throw women to the side once they’re done. Or abuse them...make them feel like they’re nothing without their drunk ass.

Maybe that’s a messed up mind set but hell...the older she gets the more she sees how fucked up this society is, especially when it comes to women.

“I resented him, always will, but he was already a high-ranking official by the time I found him. A kid like me could do nothing.” Akechi lets his hand fall to his side as catches Ryuko’s eye. There’s a familiar glare in his expression, one she knows he’s had before and can’t blame him really. Hating your father is easy when you’ve had experiences like they have. He tilts his head down after this, staring at his feet as if he can no longer take looking at her. “But...That’s when it happened!”

The soft little chuckle makes Ryuko’s skin crawl as Akechi throws his arms out wide. Grinning and snickering to himself  as he looks up at the ceiling as he gleefully continues his tale.

“That’s when I learned about the cognitive world! Someone be it god or demon...” He brings his arms down clenching his fist like an excited child gets over a new toy. “Gave me a chance to destroy him! I couldn’t contain my laughter!!”

“You...you son of a...” Ryuko growls as she starts to connect things in her mind. He’s the one who's behind the mental shut downs!

“Who cares?! My targets were all doing the same damn thing in this eat or be eaten world!” He let’s his arms drop to his side as he looks at Ryuko once more. “All I did was remove their evil from society. How is that any different from you Phantom Thieves?”

“We’re not murderers!” Ann yells out stomping her foot.

Akechi throws his arm back as he takes a step forward towards them. “ **So what**!?” He reaches up into the air and clenches is hand into a fist, bringing it slowly down in front of his face. “After working and planning for years, Shido Masayoshi is finally with in my grasp!!”

“Once he reaches the apex of his power and acknowledges me, I’m going to whisper in his ear...” Akechi throws his arms out wide leaning forward with glee as if he's one some grand stage. “And tell him the truth of who I really am!!”

Ryuko can understand that feeling...there’s been a part of her that’s wanted to find her dad and show him how much better they’ve been with out him. However...Akechi is clearly far more obsessed with this and has really gone out of his way to fuck over his father.

“And that’s when I, an utter disgrace to the world, will rule over him, I will prevail!!”

“What a warped thought...it’s almost pitiable...” Yusuke says shaking his head.

Ryuko has to agree, making her wonder what else he's been through. From what she's heard over the years the foster system can fuck up a kid easily. Moving them around constantly, putting them with horrible adults...that's just the lighter stuff she imagines. Akechi had to deal with that, then add to the fact he was born out of wedlock...He's had a hard life just like they all have. Maybe even harder...and all because of Shido. A part of her can't blame him for wanting to take down that bastard for that, though his method of doing so is really fucked up in the end.

“In just a few short weeks, my plan would have come to fruition! But no, you just had to interfere!!” He points at Kaito sneering at him. “But I can still take it back though; I’ll just need to kill you all...except..”

He pauses as he looks at Ryuko chuckles he shrugs his shoulders.“I told you before Ryu-chan I could take care of you!! If you just come with me, your life will be set...no _our_ life would be set! You’d never have to worry about work, or anything else. That bastard has the power and money that we could do anything we wanted!!”

“You’re freaking crazy!” Ryuko yells back shaking her head. Sure she gets it, but at the same time is repulsed by the mere thought of doing something like that. Shido is a horrible person, but she could never forgiver herself for using the money and power this man has manipulated people out of.

“Hmmm...maybe I am but...Ryu-chan...I forgot to tell you. I had the pleasure of meeting your mother today when I stopped by to get your answer. I have to say she’s such a lovely woman.” Akechi cups his chin as he grins seeing her tense up. “It would be a shame if something were to happen to her...”

“You stay the hell away from my mother!!” Ryuko snarls as she steps forward, pulling her hand away from Ann. Rage eats here as fear takes over at the thought of Akechi going anywhere near her mother. “If you touched a hair on her I’ll rip your fucking throat out!!”

“I see...she really is your weak spot eh?” Akechi snickers as Ryuko takes another step closer to him. “But I can help you take are of her! If you agree to help me I can make it so she never has to work as well! A life of pleasure and no need to worry about that drunk ex-husband of hers…you both must worry about that from time to time. It could be hers if you just agree to help me.”

“What the...” Ryuko blinks at him feeling her stomach drop.

“D-don’t believe him Ryuko!” Ann yells behind her. “You know he’s just trying to mess with your head!!”

Ryuko can’t deny this isn’t a tempting idea. Making sure her mother would be set for life, and be hopefully happy is something she’s dreamed about for years. She has always wanted to give back to the woman who brought her into this world. Sure it had been a bit messed up at first, but Atsuko always protected Ryuko...always tried her hardest to make her happy.

And even with the money being dirty...it’s so damn tempting to give her mother a better life.

Akechi holds his hand out as his smile softens, and she can tell this is a real one.“Please Ryuko...come with me...You do as I say, and I will make sure nothing bad ever happens to you...or your mother.”

Swallowing thickly Ryuko stares straight ahead as she takes a step forward. She hears her friends crying out, asking her to come back but are hushed by Kaito raising a hand. Feeling his hot gaze on the back of her neck, she keeps focused on the young man in front of her.

When she stands before him Akechi’s sadistic grin is back as he chuckles to himself, clearly thinking he’s won. She stares at his out stretched hand, watching the way it twitches as it waits for her own. Her eyes drift up and catch his, and she sees hope inside of them and it makes her heart twist.

“Ryuko...you’re making the right choice here.” Akechi says, his voice so soft only she can hear him. He reaches out, tucking a bit of her hair behind her ear with his other hand. In the background she can hear Ann scream at him not to touch her, but it fades away, leaving only herself and Akechi. “Do you really need them? I can be your everything...I can take care of you and your family...just come with me. Help me...stand by my side and I know we’ll make his life a living hell together as we live in paradise...”

Ryuko lifts her hand up and hovers over his as she mulls over his words. But instead of placing it in his, she curls hers into a fist and grins at him. Without hesitating she slams her fist into his face, knocking him back a few steps.

“If you think I’d betray my friends after everything they’ve done for me, you really are fucking delusional Akechi!!” Ryuko yells, pointing at him with a glare. “Fuck you, and fuck your lies! I can take care of my family myself and I’ll never be alone as long as I have them!!”

Akechi spits out blood as he staggers to stand up straight. He wipes his mouth with the back of his hand, and stares at the red stain as it spreads across the white fabric. His widen eyes and slowly lifts his gaze, catching Ryuko’s glaring back...then he starts to laugh. It starts up slow, growing form a soft snicker to a chuckle until finally it’s a full body laugh.

“ **Fine**!!” He throws out his arms out as he leans forwards watching her back away. “If that is how you truly feel Ryu-chan then that’s just fine! All it means is I’ll have to kill you with your friends!!”

“Hmph, we wont’ get killed for something like that.” Morgana rolls his eyes at Akechi’s dramatics, placing his little paws son his hips. “You sure do talk big, but you’re really nothing more than a little kid throwing a temper tantrum!”

“Don’t lecture me, you piece of shit...” Akechi growls at Morgana, watching Ryuko take her place next to Kaito. He focuses back on the cat and narrows his eyes. “I am going to personally thrust Shido Masayoshi into a living hell, and I will not let anything get in my way!!”

His attention moves back to Kaito and he points at him. “So, Joker... _everyone_...rest easy and die.”

Kaito smirks at his words, pulling out his knife, tossing it into the air casually and catching it with ease. “Think you can really do it?” He asks with a tilt of his head, daring him to come forward.

Akechi laughs at this shaking his head. “Think? Oh trust me Joker...I know I can take you down.”

“You sure sound confident, but don’t go pressin’ your luck.” Ryuko warns as she narrows her own eyes at Akechi. “We already know all your tricks form back when you were workin’ with us.”

This response makes Akechi pause, and a grin spread across his lips as he cups his chin. “Oh my...Ryu-chan...you really are an _idiot_. I still cannot understand how you could be so successful with such a stupid girl as your partner Joker.”

“Screw you, ya asshole!” Ryuko snaps stomping her foot as an odd embarrassment rushes through her at his words. She isn't sure where that comes from but this time she doesn't hold her anger back. It gets her more than ready to kick his ass.“Quit this bluffin’ shit!”

“It’s no bluff.” Makoto says from behind shaking her head. “If he truly is behind the mental shutdowns, he’s likely only shown us a fraction of his strength.”

Chuckling, Akechi let’s his arms fall down to his sides before he rolls his shoulders. She can’t help but notice he’s clearly getting ready for a fight which makes her take a moment to crack her knuckles. If he wants to make this worse then that’s fine by her. “I’ll tell you all about my true power...while you die. You can take that knowledge with you to the grave.”

Ryuko feels her stomach drop as two shadows form behind Akechi and rush forward.

“Kill them!!”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So this isn't the best, but honestly I took to long on this and I just decided to say fuck it. There are probably a bit more mistakes that I probably missed so I apologize. But I'm just so tired of looking at this that i don't care anymore. I felt like I messed around with it enough so here it is. 
> 
> fun fact, this was originally supposed to only be 3 chapters long. But thanks to Akechi never shutting up it turned into 4 chapters. I'm working on the last one as I post this and originally planned to finish it before. But it took to long and I was getting angry with it lol. I figured better to get it out before I give up. 
> 
> Seriously Akechi never shuts up. He's why this fic got longer than it originally meant to be....Ryuko does not help with anything. 
> 
> Anyways, enjoy! And please leave a comment below! Seriously these do honestly motivate me so please keep it up! It's so nice to see new ones in my inbox. You guys are all so awesome.


	4. Chapter 4

“ **Ziodyne**!!”

Ryuko’s voice echo’s through the ship as the spell hits Akechi full force. He cries out in pain, dropping his sword as his body contorts from the shocks. In a bright flash of light it’s done, and Akechi is left holding his arm as he falls to his knees.

“Damn it!”

Everyone pants as they stare nervously at the young man, waiting for his next attack. The fight had been a hard one, where everyone pulled out their best. Ryuko finds herself a bit proud that she’s the one who landed the last hit on Akechi considering everything. It’s a nice little pay back for the shit he tired to pull with her just a few minutes ago.

A few sparks run across his body as her spell dies out and but even then the team keeps focused. After finding out that he can turn shadow’s psychotic there’s no telling what else he could be hiding.

“So he’s the one able to turn people psychotic...I thought it was some special thing like the Nav, but it seems to be his own Persona’s power.” Morgana says, his voice calmer than what she’d expect. Ryuko’s a bit surprised to hear him so unimpressed, but at the same time she can’t blame him. Akechi has been throwing a hell of a tempter tantrum so showing him any kind of emotion other than this is kind of a bad idea.

“Seems like it.” Kaito says in agreement. He stares down at Akechi, watching him flex his hand back in forth. “Kinda nasty...and kinda sad really.”

“I can’t believe that the ability to control and drive others mad was born from within his heart...” Makoto frowns at this shaking her head.

It is hard to believe in the end, especially when she thinks back to before they all knew this. The fake smile he put on for everyone to see sounds painful and a burden she can’t imagine having herself.

Akechi grunts, and pants as he tries to get up to his feet. He stumbles and falls forward catching himself with his hands. “I’ll kill you...you’re all gonna die!!”

“Just stop it already man!!” Ryuko yells, taking a step forward worrying about his wounds. Unlike them she knows he doesn’t have a healing spell so.... “Move any more and you’ll make your wounds worse!”

“And you’re fighting the wrong people!” Ann adds stomping her foot. “We both hate the same guy! Why do we have to go against each other!”

“Killing us won’t make you happy.” Makoto adds, her voice steady and firm.

“But...I...” Akechi looks up and catches Ryuko’s eyes.

There’s so much anger there, more than she’s ever seen anyone have, that she’s taken back by it. But there’s pain too; harsh and full of experience of being beaten down over the years. He breaks his stare with her and looks at Kaito, watching him take a step closer to Ryuko and some how the rage intensifies. The sharp jealousy she noticed before in her apartment is there, swirling with the anger as he growls at the sight.

“Snap out of it you idiot!” Ryuko yells getting his attention back on her. “This ain’t about what Shido says! You’re own person!! You gotta know that!”

That distracts Akechi enough to have the jealousy fade as he grits his teeth and slams his fist down on the floor. “Damn it!!”

“You know...sometimes I think about that fake Medjed that you guys made up...” Futaba says as she pokes up from behind. She wraps her arms around Ryuko, nervously swaying just a bit as she speaks to Akechi. “That was the worst trap...but if it weren’t for that, I don’t think I’d be here right now.”

Seeing it do nothing to lift Akechi’s mood Futaba squeaks awkwardly as she fumbles around for the right words. “Uhh, basically...what I’m trying to say is it doesn’t matter where you start over! You always have a chance!” She grips Ryuko’s arm just a bit tighter as she hides a more behind the taller girl.

“And...you don’t really hate Joker, do you?” Morgana looks a bit sad as he says this, making everyone look down at him. “That smile you had before we fought...isn’t that how you really feel?”

Akechi says nothing as he hangs his head, his hand gripping into a tighter fists.

“Follow your true feelings Akechi!” Morgana continues trying his best to get through to the young man. “Even if you think people hate you, or don’t want you around, that’s--”

“Shut up, shut up, shut up, **shut up**!!” Akechi slams his fists on the ground as his screams cut Morgana off, making everyone wince. Ryuko can feel Futaba shake next to her as she squeezes her arm tighter, and hides her face against the taller girl’s back.

“Teammates!? Friends! To hell with that!!” Slowly the young man pushes himself onto shaky feet as he yells at the group. He hangs forwards, and pants, glaring at them before focusing right back on Kaito. “Why am I inferior to you!?”

Barely phased by his outburst Kaito glares back as his eyes narrow. “I don’t know, why don’t you keep freaking out and maybe we’ll find out?” It’s clear he’s sick of hearing how beneath Akechi he should be with his snap. Ryuko knows her friend can take a lot, but even he has his limits when it comes to shit like this. His words only frustrates the detective in front of them more as he sneers.

“Ever since I can remember I’ve been extremely particular about my life, my grades, my public image, so someone would want me around!! And ye here I am, being rejected once more...No,no,no!!” His desperate stare moves to Ryuko as he says this, the pain burning in each word he says. “I am an ace detective…A **celebrity**!!”

The more he talks, the more it becomes clear he’s asking Ryuko...why don’t you want me around? He’s famous, handsome, and a smart young man, making him every girl’s dream boyfriend. But she made it clear from the get go at the studio, she hated him and wanted nothing to do with him. She argued, fought and snapped at him as they worked together.

Even after having sex with him she still wants nothing to do with him...

Ryuko glares at Akechi as she sneers at him and shakes her head. No, she’s not going to feel sorry over her feelings at all. He’s the one who came in, threatening to kill her friends if she didn't work with him. Akechi even tried to shame her in front of them when that didn’t work and then went for her mother. No way in hell is she going to feel sorry for this asshole after him trying to break her that way.

She feels for him when it comes to his past, and who is father is but she’s not going to be manipulated into anything she doesn’t want to do.

“That doesn’t mean anything when you pull shit like this!” Ryuko snaps at him watching him twitch at her words. “I thought I freaking told you before, that fake bullshit doesn’t pull anyone in. Being yourself is what you need to do ya ass!”

“It must be so easy for you to say that Ryu-chan!!” Akechi yells as he points at her. “You’ve never ever had to hide your real self once in your life!”

“You don’t know shit about Ryuko.” Kaito says taking a step forward, making Akechi turn his glare on him once more. He doesn’t wilt under Akechi’s intense stare, only glancing at Ryuko before looking back at the so called detective in front of them. “Out of all of us here she’s probably the one person who could relate to having a horrible father! Go ahead, keep yelling and say we don’t know what it’s like just so you can convince yourself you’re in the worst possible situation. We’ve all been through shit Akechi, you aren’t some special snowflake because you’re related to the bastard that’s trying to fuck over the country!”

It’s the first time since the fight Kaito’s actually spoke out instead of just taunting Akechi. Out of everyone in their group, even Akechi, Shido screwed him the most. He’s got a criminal record because of the bastard, and basically ruined his future. Ryuko watches as Akechi bristles at her friend’s words, his hands tangling in his hair as he shakes his head violently.

“Shut up!! You’re...You’re just some criminal trash living in an attic!! So how!?” He glares down at the ground, his hands pulling at his hair. “How does someone like you have things I don’t!?”

Akechi’s words echo in the hull of the ship leaving everyone tense as they stare at him. He let’s his arms drop in front of him as he leans forward, swaying ever so slightly on his feet. Ryuko knows while Akechi is tough...he’s gotta be in pain after their fight.

“How can such a worthless piece of trash like you be more special than me!?”

Kaito licks his lips nervously, but despite this he keeps his voice calm, and controlled. “Maybe if you looked inside yourself...you’d see why.”

Akechi shakes his head violently at his words. “Don’t give me that cliche bullshit!!”

At his words there is a flash of red and black energy all around his body. A dark force burst off of him, hitting everyone and sending a sharp chill down their spine. The hair on the back of Ryuko’s neck stands up as she swears she saw Akechi wearing a totally different outfit.

“What was that!?” Makoto’s panicked cry reaches everyone’s ears as Akechi keeps swaying in front of them, unfazed by the dark energy licking at his form.

“A black mask!” Yusuke points out with ease, confirming to Ryuko his outfit did change for that split second.

When she looks into Ann’s eyes, she can see they both remember back to Madarame’s words about another intruder with a black mask. She can feel Futaba’s grip on her arm get tighter as the girl starts to shake. Ryuko doesn’t fight her when she takes hold of her hand, squeezing it gently to let her know she’s there.

“Then, what Kaneshiro said before...” Morgana’s eyes light up with the same realization as his tail poofs out, showing his fear.

Makoto narrows her eyes at Akechi. “So...you were the one behind the mental shutdowns after all...”

Ryuko watches as a slow smile spreads across Akechi, and soon he starts to laugh tilting his head back. “Oh, this is great...you’ve all pushed me past my breaking point...” he places a hand on his mask, as his snickering gets stronger. “I’m surprised...this is actually a first for me. I might even have to try my hardest against you.”

She sees a little light shine in his eyes as he lowers his hand, while his gaze darts from each of the phantom thieves before settling on Kaito. He drops his hand from his face and grins at them.

“You know...I just came up with a fun little idea to shut you all up...” Ryuko does not like his tone, feeling her free hand grip into a tight fist. “I wonder how far I can go with his…”

“Fun?” Makoto frowns at his words, tensing up even more.

“You wanted to see my powers, didn’t you?” Akechi asks tilting his head just a bit. “Fine...I’ll show them to you!”

“I’ve never felt like this before!” He throws his head back as he laughs, only to tilt it to the side as he glares at the phantom thieves. “You’re right; I don’t give a damn about Shido’s acknowledgment...All I care about now is **killing** all of you… To prove that I am better than you!!”

He points at the group as he takes a step forward, the way he narrows his eyes at the group as he sneers just proves to Ryuko’s lost it. But that is quickly forgotten as that dark energy from before comes back with vengeance, bursting from the young man’s body stronger than before.

“Ryu-chan...you said you wanted to see who I really am right? That you like me when I’m natural self without my mask right?” He grins at her with wide eyes as he let’s his arms drop to his side as he stands up straight. “Here...I’ll show you who I really am.”

“Come! **Loki**!!”

They all watch as Akechi leans back as the red energy from before envelopes him and that persona from their previous fight appears above him. The tall twisted form with black and white stripes and horns growing from it’s eyes chills Ryuko to the bone as she quietly realizes...this is Akechi’s persona too. It crosses it’s legs as it sits, while it’s owner stands up straight once more.

“Again...it’s that persona!” Yusuke points out as he keeps his eyes forward. Kaito just nods his head, biting his lip as the whole room’s energy shifts into a rage filled rush.

Akechi starts to scream as his clothing is slowly covered by the same angry red force from before, changing and shifting before their eyes. His hands grip into fists as it reaches his head, covering it as well.

“What’s going on!?” Haru takes a step back as she holds up her arm for protection.

Ryuko does the same, only she pulls Futaba closer after wrapping her arm around her small shoulders. The smaller girl wraps her arms around the runner’s middle, squeezing hard as she hides her face in her side as well. Ryuko barely notices girl’s odd goggles digging into her side, more focused on the sight before her.

“If you want to fight Akechi! Then let’s fight!!” Ryuko yells, refusing to back down.

This...this is what he’s been hiding.

Under that polite smile and words, this rage has been lurking deep within Akechi. Watching the way it swirls around him, and pulses out as it grows makes Ryuko realize she only saw a fraction of it last week. Even then Akechi had controlled himself, letting her think he was some sort of push over with a dumbass inferiority complex.

‘ _I was wrong.’_ She thinks licking her lips as an odd fluttering feeling settles in her stomach. _‘He’s a lot more fucked up than I thought...but I can’t back down now. I have to protect my friends...i have to protect kaa-san...at least this time I have the power to do it.’_

“Futaba...You need to stay in your persona during this, ya got that?” Ryuko says this quietly. “And keep a good distance away.”

“But Ryuko...” Futaba looks up at her shaking her head.

“Just trust me on this...this fight’s going to get fucking nasty...and I get the feeling I poked at him to much.” Ryuko takes a deep breath, letting it out with a shaky sigh. “I’m not as smart as Makoto, but I know he’s going to focus on me and Kaito, You support the others so they can cover us...and we’ll kick his ass.”

Futaba looks up at her, before nodding her head shakily letting her go. She backs up, ready to call up her persona the moment Akechi attacks. Makoto looks back at her for a moment before staring at Ryuko, nodding her head in a silent agreement. She does the same, before focusing right back at on Akechi.

“Don’t make me laugh!!” The energy starts to slowly calm down around as Akechi growls at them, his hands running over his mask. Ryuko can see his outfit has completely changed, as has his mask. It’s darker now, reminding her of some bird of prey’s beak. “Justice!? Righteous!? Keep that shit to yourselves!!”

“You and your teammates piss me off!!” He screeches at them shaking his head in an uncontrolled frenzy. “I’ll make you regret ever siding with **him** Ryu-chan!!”

“He can use two separate powers!?” Morgana asks and gasps as he sharp realization hits him. “Then everything...even his appearance was a fake!”

“You’re going down...I’ll destroy you all!!” Akechi violently thrashes around, holding his head as the darkness takes over. “Go down with me!!”

The psychotic spell explodes over Akechi as he casts it over himself, making Ryuko’s stomach drop. It swirls around him, before bursting out, feeling like a warm rush of horrid air that licks at her skin.

“No way!!” Ann gasps as she takes a step forward.

“That bastard...he made himself go psychotic!!” Ryuko yells.

Akechi’s laugh reaches her ears, it’s a different tone than his previous one and it makes her skin crawl. He leans back as he laughs, gasping for breath as he drops forward, his new dark mask covering his mask. His head twitches as he tilts it to the side, grinning at them like the madman he is now.

“Now! Let’s see you drop dead one at a time, in front of your _precious_ friends!!” He’s totally unhinged as he takes a step forward, his hands twitching as if he’s itching to tear something apart.

Morgana yells something that Ryuko doesn’t quite catch as she focuses on Akechi. She’s scared more for her friends than she is for herself. With the way he keeps switching his gaze from Kaito to her, she can tell he’s trying to decide which one of them to attack first. Gripping her hand into a fists, she takes a step forward. It only takes one glance at Kaito to see his nod, giving her the clear to do whatever she wants.

“Captain kid!!” She yells, feeling the familiar rush of her persona coming to life. “Like hell I’m going to let a crazy asshole like you take the first shot! Ziodyne!!”

The sharp snap of air rushes past her as the spell sparks to life just as Akechi jumps back away from it. He laughs at her attempt as he stands shaking his head as he throws his arms out.

“Oooh Ryu-chan, Ryu-chan! That impulsiveness of yours makes my blood rush!!” He cackles at her. “That beautiful glare of yours makes my every nerve in my body tingle! I wonder if I can make you scream my name just like before!?”

“Bring it on you freak!” The familiar rush of energy that comes at the start battle springs to life inside Ryuko, this time it settles inside her chest. A grin spreads across her lips as she cracks her knuckles. “I’m gonna be the one making you beg first this time around _Akechi_!!”

“So dirty Ryu-chan~” Akechi grins at her, as his newly revealed persona covers it’s face as it leans back in a mock laugh. “I can’t wait to hear your screams again!!”

* * *

They’re barely beating him back…

Ryuko feels her right thigh throb as she lands a bit hard on the ground after jumping away from one of Akechi’s attacks. She holds back a wince as she crouches, panting just slightly as she tries to will away the pain. Despite this, she knows she can keep going working through this. It isn’t exactly the healthiest way to treat her body, she knows that well, but at the same time in a fight like this she has to do it.

Akechi’s hands twitch as he watches her, only to lunge forward with a swipe of his sword. Ryuko rolls from the attack, gritting her teeth when she feels the sword slash by her. Swallowing thickly she forces herself to stand, feeling the familiar rush of a fight dull her pain. Akechi’s movements are scary fast as he rushes forward again, laughing as he brings his sword down on top of her. She blocks it with her bat grunting in surprise at his strength, but easily pushes back.

He leans forward, adding more weight against his sword and pushing her just a bit.

“You’re getting weaker Ryu-chan.” Akechi’s voice is strained but full of energy that makes her skin crawl.

Forcing herself to grin Ryuko glares back at him. “Says the asshole who had to use a spell to give him a boost. I can still kick your ass!”

With a cry Ryuko pushes back with all her strength causing Akechi to stumble back. She follows this up with a swing of her bat towards him, putting in as much force as she can. He jumps away, barely dodging her attack before coming at her with his own.

He’s fast, and ruthless just as he was when he focused on Kaito just a few moments ago. Now he’s busy with Ryuko, who can only fight back by sheer force. She’s not as clever or skilled as her best friend, and relies mostly on her strength and agility. Akechi knows this, and he’s trying to out last her which she’s pretty sure he could. Ever since he made himself go psychotic it’s like he has an endless amount of energy to throw at them.

The only reason he even focused on her was so she could give Kaito a break. Now she’s kind of starting to regret this, especially since he’s been using his persona to keep everyone else busy. She needs to get some space away from him or else this is going to end badly...

“C-Captain Kid!!” Ryuko screams summoning her persona. “Zio--”

“Not going to happen!!” Akechi snarls at her as he slams his body into her, effectively cutting off her spell. His elbow hits her stomach, making her drop her bat with grunt.

The force knocks Ryuko off her feet, sending her flying back only to land a few feet away. She hits the ground hard enough to knock the air from her lungs. Ryuko gasps and coughs as she rolls over onto her hands and knees, her chest burning. Drool drips down her chin as she tries her best to regain her breath, and she feels her stomach sting. She can’t remember the last time someone hit her this hard, and grits her teeth as it throbs.

Before she can even get her breathing back to normal Akechi slams into her back once more smashing her face against the ground. With ease he grabs her right arm and twists it around her back painfully as he presses his entire weight against her. Squeezing her eyes shut Ryuko hisses at the sharp pain in her arm, and feels Akechi’s sharp clawed gloves dig into her skin.

“Quite a familiar position for us isn’t it Ryuko?” Akechi snickers in her ear, his hot breath caressing her ears. “Though this time there’s no table to hold you up.”

“Get the fuck off of me ya bastard...” Ryuko hisses as she tries to struggle and throw him off.

The terrifying realization that she’s going to get nowhere hits her when he applies more pressure to her arm. Ryuko holds back a scream as the pain increases, making her body tense up until he takes it off. The creepy realization of him calling her by her full name hits her next, making her hate how he keeps switching. There’s something off with the way he says it now, and it’s way to personal; even for her.

“No, no, no, I can’t do that Ryuko...not when I finally have you all to myself again.” He hums softly in her ear pressing himself up more against her using his body weight to keep her in place. “Don’t worry, Loki will keep them all busy.”

“You’re fucking crazy you know that!” Ryuko yells. “What the hell is _wrong_ with you!?”

“Many things Ryuko...” He says softly, but the madness is still there. “But I just want to give you one more chance, because I know you’re such a stubborn girl.”

Some how his words make her roll her eyes despite the name. “Oh my god you are still on about that...what the hell man, get over it! I told you to fuck off, and if you touch my mother--”

“I won’t lay a hand on her, I swear.” Akechi says quickly making Ryuko blink. “No, no, no, no, that would not do...that would just make things worse now wouldn’t it? You’d just hate me forever...”

“Akechi I already hate your guts...” Ryuko grunts as she tries to fight once more. That pressure on her arm is back making her squeeze her eye shut and stop her struggling. She’s gasping when he let’s up, making her wonder who taught him this.

“I know, I know, but please Ryuko...please listen.” His voice is soft despite the speed he speaks at. “I promise I won’t kill you...actually I _can’t_ kill you. I like you far to much to do that.”

“Dude what is up with you liking me this much?” Ryuko groans feeling her cheeks burn. “I ain’t that special!”

Akechi chuckles in her ear as he shakes his head. “Oh no Ryuko...you’re very special! At least...to me you are. Despite being rude, loud, and so unladylike you’re charming! You treat me as your equal, tell me right to my face when you think I’m wrong, hell even now you aren’t afraid to fight me...I’ve never met a person like you, until now!”

“Gee that sure as hell makes me feel better.” Ryuko grumbles sarcastically.

“Good, because that is why I can’t kill you...” He pauses at this letting it linger in the air. Despite the loud battle around them, all she can hear is his breathing and her heartbeat “But I’m not afraid to _break_ you.”

She feels his claws begin to dig into her wrist and tear through the leather of her outfit with ease. They pierce her skin with ease, causing a warm trickle of blood to leak down her arm. She bites her lip, willing herself not to scream as the pain hits her.

“I know what your teacher did to you...I’ll leave your legs alone I swear.” He whispers in her ears. “But your arms...if you fight me again I’ll break them like twigs. Then I’ll make you watch me kill them so all you’ll have left is me.”

“You son of a bitch!” Ryuko hisses feeling tears prick at her eyes. She blinks them away as she makes herself focus through the pain. There has to be a way to get away from him, she just needs to think…

“Yes, yes I am all those horrible things, but most of all I’ll take care of you. After I kill Shido, we’ll run away together...just you and me. See? I won’t harm your mother.” Akechi laughs in her ear as if he’s told her a great joke. “So...what’s it going to be Ryuko? Are you going to sit quietly or do I have to break your arms?”

Anger rushes through her as she starts to struggle again doing her best to ignore the pain in her arm. “Fuck you Akechi! I’d rather die than do nothing!!”

Akechi is a quiet for a moment, stilling against her after her answer. Slowly he lifts himself off of her back, and instead sits on her legs. He still has her arm in that iron tight grip pressing the same amount of painful pressure.

Finally he sighs long, and hard. “I see...guess I’ll be breaking your arms then.”

Ryuko gasps when she feels him start to press more against her arm and the pain doubles. Finally a scream rips its way out of her throat as she squeezes her eyes shut.

He’s really going to fucking break her arm!!

Panic sets in the more the pain increases and she knows there’s going to be something soon. Is it going to be a crunch? A snap? The memory of when Kamoshida broke her leg rushes through her mind, and that horrible sickening noise of her femur bone breaking rushes back. If she wasn’t screaming Ryuko would be vomiting at the moment…

“ **You get your hands off of her**!!”

The sharp scream of Ann cuts through the air followed by the familiar crack of her whip. Akechi’s weight is off her body, and the pain in her arm is gone in an instant. Ryuko’s frozen however, her mind trying to catch up from losing the pressure and the realization that her arm isn’t broken. It isn’t until Ann’s at her side, helping her up that she realizes...she’s okay.

Shuddering Ryuko rolls her arm and flexes it, feeling a bit stiff as Ann places a comforting hand on her back. She flexes her hand, barely noticing the red stain on her yellow gloves before she pulls up her sleeve to see the wounds Akechi left behind.

“Ryuko are you okay?!” Ann’s nervous voice reaches her ears, pulling Ryuko out of her stunned silence.

“Y-yeah I am...thank you for saving me.” She says quickly letting out a shaky breath. “Ann….he was going to break my arm...”

“I know, it’s okay now.” Ann pulls her friend against her chest, shaking herself. Then a harsh growl vibrates from her chest, reminding Ryuko of an actual panther. “But I’m going to rip his fucking arms off now...”

“I’ll help.” Ryuko hisses as she pushes herself away. “He’s lost his freaking mind...and we gotta kick his ass to bring him back.”

She sniffs before pushing up her mask just realizing she’s still crying. Ryuko wipes away the tears quickly with the back of her hands before replacing her skull mask right back where it belongs. Looking around she quietly realizes Kaito’s back fighting Akechi, this time looking absolutely pissed.

Ann helps her up to her feet, keeping her hand on Ryuko’s back. It takes her a bit to flex her arm, working away the pain before they both head over to where her dropped bat is. Ryuko quickly swipes it up, swinging it a few times before nodding at Ann.

“Alright, let’s go beat some sense into this idiot!”

* * *

Ryuko isn’t really sure why her brain decides to think back to when Akechi teased her in the safe room as he collapses, finally defeated. It feels like it was ages ago but really, it was only a few weeks and even then it didn’t feel real at the moment. However, the way he joked and was honest about his past hits her, and it makes her bite her lip as she watches him.

That...that was the real Akechi.

Not this crazy guy who’s been backed into a corner, desperately trying to prove...something. No, he’s got his problems, she can clearly see that as she remembers his threats. But at the same time she can’t help but feel he must be incredibly lonely. His jealousy for Kaito comes from everyone standing behind him, and of course there’s how he focused on her. It’s almost like a kid, wanting just someone to be there for him and acting out.

‘ _He’s killed people...and he tried to break your arms…’_ Ryuko bites the inside of her cheek when these dark thoughts enter her mind. _‘Why do you feel so sorry for him?’_

Because maybe...just maybe...she could have ended up like him.

It’s a hallow realization as she watches Akechi push himself up groaning in pain as he kneels there on one knee. Ryuko knows she’s not as smart as Akechi, but she’s been in a dark place once herself, thinking about doing horrible things. It doesn’t take much thanks to her temper but it’s something she’s learned to deal with over the past year. Mostly thanks to Kaito, but all of her friends had a hand in pulling her back. Part of her is pretty sure they’re the same, just in different degrees and ways.

Taking a deep breath she’s the first to take a step closer to him. “You ready to call it quits dude?”

“I know...I’ve had enough.” Despite the heaviness in his voice, Ryuko can tell the real Akechi’s back. “...You’re so lucky. Lucky to be surrounded...by teammates who acknowledge you...”

Hearing those words Ryuko quietly wishes she hadn’t been right about Akechi. It hurts to hear the pain in his voice as he looks at them, his eyes darting to each member only to linger on Ryuko and Kaito.

“And once Shido confesses his crimes, you’ll all be heroes.” His head hangs at his words, sounding close to crying now. “As for me, people will find out my past deductions were just a charade. My fame and trust will vanish.”

“...I see. So you were turning people psychotic, then solving the cases yourself.” Morgana points out with ease as he crosses his little arms. “And you did that by joining forces with Shido.”

Akechi chuckles at Morgana’s deduction, shaking his head as if he can’t believe everything. “In the end...I couldn’t be special...even to you...”

Ryuko feels her cheeks up, knowing well who exactly he’s hinting at. Sighing and rubbing the back of her head before shoving her hands into her pockets, she’s pretty sure she might end up regretting her next words. Where in the hell did she get this stupid soft spot from?

“Dude, you’re more than special...” Ryuko says watching his head snap up. He catches her eyes and she can see his has widen in surprised...and maybe there’s just a slight blush there on his cheeks.

“It pains me to admit this...but your wit and strength far exceeds ours. We only defeated you by teaming up...” Makoto looks down, as she let’s out a soft sigh. “I was honestly...envious of your natural ability. It was frustrating to see how much my sister trusted you...”

“I have no intention of forgiving you for what you did to my father, but...I sympathize with you.” Haru steps up after Makoto’s words, placing a hand against her chest as she watches Akechi. “I wholeheartedly understand wanting to get back at the adults who took everything from you...”

“But when you gained the power to fulfill that desire, you only used it for your own self-benefit.” Yusuke finishes, tilting his head just a bit as he thinks.

“If you have the ability to use multiple Personas, you probably have the same power as Joker.” Futaba wrings her hands together as she talks, nervously fidgeting a bit more than usual. “But because you went through life all alone, the power you awakened was fueled by lies and hate.”

Part of Ryuko is happy to hear Futaba say that, confirming what she felt about Akechi. That loneliness….is probably what drives him the most despite what he says. He doesn’t want to be alone...he wants to be noticed...to be loved.

She knows well that’s no excuse for anything he did but it hits her heart hard, making her grip her hands into tight fists.

“Still you thought that was enough, right? That part, I totally get.” Futaba looks down as she says this shaking her head. Quietly she goes over to Kaito and takes hold of his jacket to keep him close.

“You excelled at everything over us...yet that was the one thing you lacked...” Yusuke words make Akechi twitch, as he stares at them, as if he can’t believe what they’re saying.

“I can’t forgive you for hurting her...but that’s why you got so obsessed over Ryuko right? Because you’re lonely and she...she treats you like she does with everyone else.” Ann offers making both Ryuko and Akechi twitch. “You even offered to take care of her if she’s pregnant right, so you can’t be all bad if you did that.”

Ryuko feels her whole face heat up at Ann’s words, and hates the fact she can feel everyone’s eyes on her suddenly. She whips her head to the right, and glares at Ann who gasps and places a hand over her mouth remembering she isn’t supposed to let others know that. Akechi is silent about this, looking away from them all himself and signaling he’s just as embarrassed.

“Ryuko...you had sex with no protection?” Makoto’s whisper in her ear makes Ryuko hiss in frustration.

“It was that pink shit so help me!” She whispers back frantically. “Is this really the time to be bitching at me about safe sex!?”

“I...no you’re right, but we will talk about this later...” Makoto says with her best mom voice.

“I know how to use a condom _mom_.” Ryuko rolls her eyes as she shoves her hands into her pockets.

“Clearly you don’t if you could be pregnant!” Makoto pulls at Ryuko’s ear, making her yelp and swat her hand away.

“I took a morning after pill!!” Ryuko hisses, feeling like dying. Out of the corner of her eye she sees Kaito grinning like a cat, knowing all to well he’s already getting ideas of how to tease her.

“You could still be pregnant!!” Makoto argues back.

“Oh. My. God! Really!?”

“Yes, **really**!!”

Before Ryuko can argue back with Makoto Akechi’s laughs interrupts them. Compared to the crazy one from before, this one is light and full of actual amusement. It’s his real laugh, and even then it’s a bit sad.

“See? Even now you all bicker about such silly things despite everything that’s happened.” Akechi sighs sadly. “You’re all such good friends...I really am jealous of it all.”

Feeling the air lift just a bit Ryuko sighs as she rubs the back of her neck nervously. She takes in a deep breath before letting it out slowly, feeling her nerves calm slightly.

“Alright, enough of this touchy feeling shit, let’s go back and get that callin’ card ready!” She announces, making everyone stare at her. She catches Kaito’s eye who doesn’t look away at her for a bit before smiling softly. “We’re going to take Shido down still. What’re you gonna do? I mean it would be a major pain in the ass if you kept getting in our way. So how about you come with us?”

“...Are you an idiot?” Akechi lifts his head to stare at Ryuko. “After all I’ve said to you...all that I’ve done you ask me that?! You should get rid of me...if you don’t want me getting your way.”

“Well yeah you were a freaking asshole...and still kind of are.” Ryuko offers rolling her eyes. “But why would we get rid of you? You are a pretty strong dude after all, and despite all that crazy that is you, that could totally come in handy against Shido. Besides, out of us all you probably know his weakness the best.”

“She’s not wrong.” Kaito says with a shrug of his shoulders, when Akechi focuses on him.

He stares at Ryuko, his wide eyes burning holes into her, until finally he drops his head. “I...don’t think I will ever get you Ryu-chan….You or your friends. You all are truly beyond my comprehension.”

“What a sweet little scene...”

The second voice makes everyone jump in surprise, while Ryuko feels her eyes widen when she sees...Akechi walking out from the shadow?

Dressed like he does every day, the young man makes his way towards the Akechi they just defeated. He looks at them, his cold lifeless eyes makes a chill run down her spine as she glares back at him. Finally this Akechi’s gaze lands on the one kneeling on the ground who stares up at him with stunned beyond words.

* * *

“Another one!? But wait, could he be--”

“That’s...that’s Shido’s cognitive version of Akechi!” Morgana cuts Yusuke off easily. Everyone looks to the cat, before looking back at the cognitive Akechi who starts to laugh lightly.

It makes Ryuko’s skin crawl at how utterly lifeless it sounds only to feel her heart jump into her throat when it pulls out a gun and points it at the real Akechi. He barely flinches, his eyes narrowing as he glares at the fake version of himself.

“I’ll deal with the rest of you later.” He says with ease, only sparing them a glance before he focuses back onto Akechi. “After all Caption Shido’s orders take priority over dealing with rats. He has no need for losers.”

“The hell are you talking about!?” Ryuko snaps at him. “Why don’t you come say that to our faces!”

The cognitive Akechi doesn’t even hear her as he focuses on the young man before him, terrifyingly solid. She knows she has to do something...but...but what can she do? Some how a plan starts to form in her mind, not exactly solid but it’s something.

Swallowing thickly she slowly kneels down, keeping her eyes focused on the fake prince detective. No one else has noticed her movement, not even Kaito and she takes that as a good sign. She’ll need that for what she has planned next. The only person who has noticed her is Morgana, who glances at her with his eyes but says nothing.

“Ah well, this just moves the plan up a little. He planned to get ride of you after the election anyways.” the Fake sighs with ease.

“What...I...n-no!” Akechi sounds desperate now, his hand on the floor curling into a fist.

The Fake shakes his head in disbelief, keeping that cold dispassionate stare fixated on the young man. “Did you truly believe you’d be spared after all the murders you undertook over the past few years? Don’t tell me...were you actually feeling good about having someone rely on you for once?”

The tone in the Fake’s voice makes Ryuko’s stomach roll as she slowly moves her leg back, keeping her one knee up. It’s a familiar pose and despite not getting into it for over a year it comes back to her naturally. However she keeps one hand on her knee, not wanting to signal that something is up to the Fake. It strains her leg, but it’s nothing she can’t handle and she ignores the slight pain from the oddly stretched limb.

“Oh! Before I forget, the captain says it’s time you receive retribution for causing all those horrible mental shutdowns.” says the Fake shrugging his shoulders easily, as if this is another thing. “After all...Captain Shido can’t have someone who uses people like that by his side...

“What the hell, man!? That bastard’s the one who put him up to it!” Ryuko instantly regrets her mouth but at the same time she can’t keep it shut. Shido...that son of a bitch is just going to throw away Akechi after everything he made this guy do!? God damn shitty adult….

Akechi chuckles as he pushes himself up to his feet, stumbling just a little before he hunches over. “I see...I was wondering how he’d protect himself if I used my power to tear through this Palace. Turns out you’re how. So he’s making a puppet kill me...how nasty. Sounds _exactly_ like something he’d do.”

“That’s right...I’ll do anything.” The tone in the Fake’s voice makes Ryuko want to vomit. “But look at yourself...you’re the true _puppet_.”

Akechi’s head snaps to glare at his Fake and sneers at him. “What did you say?”

The grin that spreads across the Fake’s lips gives her the creeps and infuriates her more.

“You wanted to be acknowledge didn’t you? To be loved?” It tilts his head to the side as Akechi takes a step towards it. Ryuko watches his gaze drift down to the gun before go back to the Fake’s face. “You’ve been nothing but a puppet from the very beginning.”

“You little...” Ryuko bites her lip as she controls herself, doing her best not to draw any more attention.

Makoto covers her mouth as she gasps and shakes her head. “So this...is how Shido thinks of Akechi? Just a lifeless puppet? This...this is too horrible!”

“It’s still not too late!” Haru puts a hand on Makoto’s shoulder as she steps forward. “We can still change his heart together! Even if he’s your father...no because he’s your father Akechi-kun that you can join us!”

The Fake snaps it’s attention to Haru and glares at her. “What’s all this nagging about? Do you want me to take care of you first!?”

This makes Ryuko place both her hands on the floor, and shift just a bit. At the right moment...she’ll sprint forward and kick this guy’s ass. She can’t sit here anymore and listen to the bullshit he’s spouting; Ryuko just needs the right moment to move.

The Fake grins at them as shadows appear behind them, the guard versions pointing their guns at Akechi while the dogs growl. Ryuko can’t help the dread that pools inside of her, because of course shit like this has to happen and make her whole plan more complicated. Despite that she refuses to give up and keeps up her position.

“Oh no he’s not alone!” Ann’s voice perks up from behind her. “He has shadows too!”

“You know what...on second thought. I’ll let someone volunteer to take his place. Who knows, maybe you’ll delay his death?” The Fake tilts his head at this as he observes the group before him.

“Damn you...” Ryuko growls this as she focuses on him...that’s it...he’s getting kicked in the dick.

The Fake grins at this as it tilts it’s gun at Akechi as it presses it’s other hand on it’s chest. “You guys are all about doing things for others right? That’s just the same for me! I’m going to take all the blame for our captain...and I’ll die for him too.”

“What? This...this can’t be what Shido thinks of Akechi-kun, even after making him help with the murders!?” Makoto grits her teeth. “This is...this is bullshit!”

The Fake turns it’s attention back to Akechi and points his gun towards the group. “Fine if no one will volunteer, I’ll give you one last chance Akechi-kun. _Shoot them_.”

Akechi blinks at his words and stands a bit straighter, then he starts to laugh ever so lightly. “...I was such a fool...”

Ryuko feels her stomach drop when he pulls out a gun himself and points it at Kaito. For what he’s worth their leader doesn’t even flinch, and stares directly into Akechi’s eyes. All of his body language screams that he’s daring the young man to shoot him. The Fake Akechi’s eyes brightens at this, making her feel a bit of panic rise inside of Ryuko.

He’s...he’s going to do something stupid. She can feel it in her bones that Akechi is up to something, she’s just not sure what. A part of her is hoping he isn’t going to shoot Kaito but at the moment anything is possible. Still she wants to think he’s just bluffing, and trying to trick the fake him than actually hurt Kaito.

“Yes...That’s the you our captain wants to see.” The Fake Akechi sighs happily as he watches the scene. “Go on...shoot him!”

Akechi’s tired chuckle makes Ryuko focus more, and shift her position just a bit. She’sin the perfect position now, more than ready to sprint off and stop...whatever.

“Don’t misunderstand...” Akechi closes his eyes, and glances at Ryuko. For a moment he frowns at her position, as if he can’t quite understand what she’s up too. But he stops, and gives her a real smile that pulls at her heart strings.

It feels as if he’s saying goodbye...

It lasts only for a blink of an eye before his anger takes over and he sneers at the fake him.

“You’re the one who’s going to disappear!!”

Akechi is lightning fast as he turns and shoots at the Fake him, which pulls the trigger on it’s own gun out of reflex. The shots rings out and makes Ryuko jump as panic really takes over. She almost stands up, but stops herself waiting for the exact moment to move. The Fake Akechi groans as he holds his stomach and falls to his knees, while the real one grits his teeth, holding his side as a dark stain starts to spread in his clothing.

He stumbles but points the gun at them once more, this time shooting past them. The sound of glass is what makes Ryuko move knowing the dumbass has done something so god damn stupid. She doesn’t hesitate as she pushes herself into a full run, ignoring the pain in her right leg. Ryuko knows she can do this, she can reach Akechi and help him if she just focuses.

She was the fastest runner Shujin Academy ever had at one time...she’s going to make it.

* * *

“ **The watertight bulkhead door has closed. All personal within the partition wall, evacuate at once.”**

Ryuko barely hears the robotic voice over the yells of her friends. She barely makes it past the thick line on the floor, feeling a rush of air as a thick metal door rushes up behind her. Stumbling to a stop she looks at it and jumps when she hears bangs from the other side.

“Ryuko!!” She hears Ann yell through the thick metal. “What the hell do you think you’re doing!?”

“Saving a dumbass!” Ryuko snaps back. “Don’t worry about us! Just get out of here and use those letters. I’ll meet you guys later!”

“Are you insane!?” Ann yells back banging harder than before. “Open up and let me through!!”

“Ann calm down.” Kaito’s calm voice comes through next, and the banging stops. “Ryuko do you really think you can do this?”

“I mean...I’m gonna have to now that I’m in it.” She points out with a bit of a laugh. “Don’t worry we’ll see you guys in the real world.”

Kaito is quiet for a bit before two bangs echo through the hull of the ship. “Alright. We’ll see you in the real world, good Luck.”

“Thanks!” Ryuko yells back, turning around to see the situation behind her. “I’m going to need it...”

Swallowing thickly she watches the Fake Akechi slowly stand holding his stomach. He glares at her pointing his gun at her with a shaky hand. All the while she’s thankful the shadows have kept to the back, clearly waiting for orders.

“Stupid bitch...” He hisses at her with pure rage building behind his eyes. The Fake starts to laugh, amused by her glare. “Now you get to die with him!”

“N-no! Ryu-chan g-get out--” Akechi tries to move forward, but doubles over holding his side as he grunts in pain. “D-don’t you touch her!!”

“Akechi don’t move or you’ll make yourself worse!” Ryuko yells, feeling her stomach twist at his actions. “Just sit still I’ll get us out of this, I promise.”

The Fake looks between them, then a bone chilling grin spreads across his lips. “Oh my what do we have here...Don’t tell me, are you getting soft on our Captain? I wonder what you’ll do if I shoot her...”

“Dunno what you’re thinking you fake asshole, but let me tell you something.” Ryuko points at Akechi. “I find him to be one of the most annoying assholes I’ve ever met. He’s pompous, fake as fuck, and has jealously issues as big as his his head...but...”

“But what?” The Fake narrows his eyes. “If you hate him so much then why are you here?”

“Dunno to be completely honest,” Ryuko admits with a shrug of her shoulders. “I just keep getting this feeling that if he dies...”

She hesitates trying to figure out how to put actual words on this odd feeling in her chest. It’s not love...nah it’s to clouded and mixed up to be that. She doesn’t hate him, that’s for sure. Maybe it’s sympathy she feels for him, especially with how his father is trying to fuck him over even now. Even with how confusing this pressure is, she can’t hate Akechi...hell maybe she likes him a little if she’s being totally honest.

“I’ll be really sad if this loser dies.” Ryuko sighs as grips her hands into fists.

She keeps her attention on The Fake in front of her, feeling her cheeks heat up as she knows for sure the real Akechi is staring at her. Ryuko twitches when the The Fake starts to laugh, and makes her glare at him.

“Oh my how sweet...I guess I’ll do you a favor and kill you first!” The Fake grins at her, slowly pulling the trigger.

“Like hell I’m going to let you kill me!” Ryuko grins at her as she takes a deep breath. “Captain Kid!! Ziodyne!”

The rush of power flows around her as her persona comes to life, followed by the familiar crack of her lightning spell unleashing on the shadows. They groan in pain, falling to the ground as electricity sparks around them still. The Fake turns his head to stare at the shadows, making Ryuko rush forward towards him.

The moment she reaches him, he realizes she’s there and points the gun at her face. It’s to late however, as Ryuko kicks and hits his crotch. The Fake grunts with large eyes, dropping to the ground as he curls up in a ball. Akechi from afar watches, his mouth falling open as Ryuko jogs towards him with a grin on her lips.

“Holy shit I did not expect that to actually work!” She says with a nervous laugh, rubbing the back of her head.“Holy shit, you do not know how _satisfying_ that ways.”

“Wh-what in the world are...what in the world are you doing Ryu-chan!?” Akechi finally spits out at her. “Are you insane!?”

“Just a little.” Ryuko says rolling her eyes. “Stop complaining and let me see your wound...”

“I-it’s fine.” He grunts pushing her hands away. “Just...why are you here? You hate me...”

“How many god damn times do I have to tell you I don’t hate you’re stupid pretty face!” Ryuko groans rolling her eyes. “I’m here because someone’s gotta save your stupid ass.”

She sighs and looks behind her, watching The Fake struggle to even move. Behind them the shadows start to twitch, her spell slowly starting to wear off on them. Ryuko feels a bit of panic start to rise inside as she focuses back on Akechi. The dark stain in his clothing has spread, making her stomach twist.

“There’s no time to bitch at each other.” Ryuko says as she crouches down in front of him. “Hop on, I’ll carry you.”

Akechi stares at her before shaking his head. “No, I refuse to be carried out of here like some damsel.”

“Oh shove it up your ass.” Ryuko groans. “If you keep talking like that I’ll pick your ass up bridal style. Now come on! You can barely move so it’d be smarter to carry you or else you’ll slow me down more.”

“...Fine.”

She feels Akechi’s weight at her back, and when she’s got a good grip of his legs she stands up with a grunt. He’s a bit heavier than she originally planned, and of course the idiot wraps his arms around her neck to tight. Ryuko gags a bit as she stumbles forward, but finds a good solid spot as she tries her best not to jostle the injured young man on her back.

“Sh-shit...Akechi, loosen up on my neck or I’m gonna pass out.” She hisses, and takes a deep breath when he complies. “Whoo, thanks...alright let’s get the hell out of here. What’s the best possible way?”

“W-why would you ask me?” Akechi hesitates, making Ryuko ignore how his hot breath hits her ear. That’s the second time today she’s felt it...

“Well, I figure considering how you sneaked in here without us noticing you, and given your whole little plan with Shido I figured you would know this place better than anyone.”

His silence is a good enough answer, especially when his sigh sounds like one of his soft chuckles. Part of her is glad to hear him have enough energy for something like that, especially with the way she keeps ignoring how hard he’s breathing. Akechi points towards a darker part of the ship’s hull, making her squint to see what’s there.

“There’s a maintenance door there….with a hall that eventually connects to the outside.” He explains and hisses as she starts to jog towards it. “But it’s a bit of a maze...”

“That’s fine, just tell me where to run and I’ll go for it.” Ryuko says as she picks up the pace, hearing more of the shadows coming around. “Just...hold on and sorry for any pain...I know it hurts.”

Akechi is quiet for a moment as she kicks down the door, his grip around her neck tightening a bit a she starts down the hall. For the most part this place is similar to the other parts of the Palace she’s been too, just less fancy. She’s not surprised since this is the maintenance hall and it’s bound to be plain compared to the overly decorated cruse ship she’s been running around.

She soon finds he’s not wrong when he told her it was like a maze. Just a few feet in and they’ve already come to a crossroads, making her feel just a tiny bit nervous. Thankfully Akechi points towards the left making her run down it as fast as she can. Her right leg throbs in pain, but she forces herself to push past it one more time. Ryuko knows well she’ll be paying for this in the morning, but if she can save this idiot then it’s worth it.

Around this time she hears a loud growl echo down the maintenance hall, signaling that the shadows have started to move. “Shit!”

“Why are you helping me?” Akechi’s quiet voice rings in her ear as she, turns down the right corner he’s pointed too. “I’m just slowing you down, if you were to just drop me then you’d-”

“And what, get away? Screw that!” Ryuko snaps shaking her head. “I am not leaving you behind after all this shit. I...I don’t know what we are exactly, since friends don’t really cut it...and I don’t really consider you to be my enemy.”

“I tried to kill you and your friends...I...I tried to break your arm.” Akechi protests shaking his head. “A-and you say we’re not enemies?”

“Okay I know it sound stupid but...” Ryuko turns around another corner that he points too and grits her teeth as she starts to pant. “I dunno dude I just can’t hate you for some stupid reason.”

“...I _was_ going to break your arm because I know about your history with that teacher.” Akechi states his clawed glove digging into her shoulder. “I was _fucking_ with your head Ryu-chan...because I know that would have gotten to you.”

“Lots of people try to fuck with my head.” Ryuko counters back, swearing under her breath as she slides to a stop. She almost ran straight into a door and looks around, trying to figure out where to go next. “But you see...I’m a bit to thick headed for that to work!”

With a bit of a war cry she kicks the door down once more. It bangs open, making them both wince as they know well it alerted the shadows tow here they are. Inside she’s a bit surprised to see something like a break room, but rushes in anyways. Another door is in their way and Ryuko with a grunt this time, kicks it open, not caring if there’s another bang.

“So, here’s what we’re going to do. I’m going to get you to a hospital, where you will sit still and heal since you got fucking shot ya dumb ass. After that you’re going to therapy.” Ryuko picks up her speed as she runs down the hall, only turning a corner if Akechi points at it. He silently listens to her, hissing and grunting only when she jostles him just right as she reaches some stairs, running up them as fast as she can. His breathing is getting harder too which makes her really start to panic.“I’m going to help you with this too, and we’re going to work through this shit together you got that? And then, after maybe many, _many_ years of therapy I might actually thinking of dating you seriously!”

“W-why are you saying this?” Akechi asks, his voice softer than before. “Y-you hate me...”

“For the last god damn time, **I don’t hate you!!** ” Ryuko hits one last door and stumbles, some how keeping her balance to stand up straight. To her surprise they’re in the front lobby of the ship, which means if they keep running forward and get out then…

“Hey you! Over there!!”

“Shit.”

There’s no time to think that as she forces herself to run towards the front door ignoring the yells of the shadows behind her. Ryuko is so damn close there’s no way she’s going to let them catch them now!!

“But you know something, I am a good person!” Ryuko yells as she pushes forward, thankful the doors in front of them are open. “That’s why I’m helping you...nothing more and nothing less!”

Akechi is quiet to her yell, which makes a cold fear rush through as she runs down the stairs. Panting she gently lays him on the ground and feels her heart drop at how large the dark stain on his costume has become. It’s only around this time she smells the sharp coppery scent of blood and looks down at her yellow gloves. They’re almost soaked through with his blood and it makes her pull out her phone.

“Akechi!! Akechi, we’re out!!” She kneels down next to him, pulling him into her lap. She can see his eyes flutter, signaling he’s alive...for now. “Shit...don’t you dare die on me!!”

“...ry...I...s...o...I’m...” He mumbles something trying to form words, making Ryuko pause to listen.

“ _I’m sorry...I’m sorry.”_

It takes her a moment but she realizes...he’s apologizing. It’s so damn weird how much this hurts to hear his voice so weak and desperate as his grip on her arm has starts to loosen.

Gritting her teeth Ryuko places a hand over his and squeezes it. “If you’re so sorry, then don’t freaking die okay? You can’t really apologize if you’re dead!”

She fumbles with her phone, thankful that the metaverse app is right there. This time however she can’t blink away the tears that start to fall down her cheeks, blurring her vision. Some how she deactivates it, and tries to formulate story in her mind to tell the paramedics when they’re back in the real world.

“Please...please don’t die.”

* * *

Stepping into the hospital, Ryuko is only slightly disappointed to find that it’s only a little warmer here. She shivers a bit as she stuffs her hands into her pockets and heads towards the elevator. It’s a bit weird how easy this routine has become in the past few weeks, especially after they kicked Shido’s ass and he confessed his shit on the eighteenth.

At first they’d all been excited, especially since that means things could get back to normal….right?

That turned out to be completely wrong as _nothing_ changed. Everything was the same, no one gave a shit about Shido’s confession or wanted to even have him be arrested. This is when they all knew something is up, and with that the phantom thieves decided tomorrow they would go investigate Memento’s one last time.

Ryuko can’t help but feel on edge as she presses the call button for the elevator, her right leg jiggling nervously as she waits for it to come.

There’s a part of her that is dreading about discovering what’s down in Memento’s, especially with how dark their current position is. It’s a twisted mess with walls looking like bones are growing out, along with throbbing veins. But she knows all to well they’re the only ones who can do it...which is why she finds herself here tonight.

‘ _I wonder if he’s still pouting...’_ She thinks pulling out her phone to check the time. It’s close to when visiting hours are over, but she figured a small visit is better than nothing.

Stepping into the elevator, Ryuko is relieved to see no one is inside. She closes the doors, and pushes the button for the fifth floor feeling her stomach do a little flip flop before the elevator starts to go up. Carefully she steps out onto the fifth floor when she arrives, and walks towards the hall barely paying attention to a nurse who passes by.

At the end of the hall she comes to a stop and knocks lightly at the door, opening it without waiting for a response.

“Hey, sorry I’m a bit later than usual some serious shit is going down and we had a meeting.” Ryuko explains as she ducks in, closing the door behind her.

Sitting up right in the hospital bed with a book in his hand is Akechi Goro. However, instead of smiling at her he scowls and turns his attention back to his book. Or at least tries to do so.

“Still pouting I see...” Ryuko says feeling her eye twitch. Sighing she pulls one of the few chairs in the room up next to his bedside, turning it around before sitting in it. She leans against the back of the chair, laying her arms on top followed by her head. “Dude, I’m exhausted and not in the mood to deal with this shit, can you cut the silent treatment tonight and talk to me like a normal person?”

“Why do you even still come here?” He asks not even bothering to look up at her. “I lost. I’m a traitor and I tried to kill you...get out.”

“I’ve got my reasons...” Ryuko admits with a bit of a shrug. “But honestly...this...this isn’t over, you can feel it too can’t you?”

Akechi is silent, pausing as he turns the page before he continues on. The heavy air between them lingers as Ryuko watches him, waiting for him to say something...anything really.

They defeated Shido awhile ago, and he confessed his crimes like all their other targets. Unlike him however...there has been no change with the masses. The people still support Shido despite everything he’s said, and no one has taken action against him either.

No one has even gone at Akechi either, but with Sae’s help they kept him being in the hospital a secret. After all, there’s no telling who could be out for his blood in Shido’s group so it’s smarter to keep everyone in the dark, and not let it be known that the detective prince is held up in the hospital with a gunshot wound.

On top of that despite Kaito being able to walk around free again, there’s a dark energy in the air signaling their job is not done. Something is influencing everyone, and it’s hiding down deep in mementos.

“Fine ignore me all you want...” Ryuko groans closing her eyes. “I just wanted to let you know...that we’re going to go and try to fix it.”

She hears him turn another page after her words, and for second she’s sure he’s going to ignore her but this time he sighs.

“And? What do you want me to say? Good Luck?” He slams the book close, making Ryuko open her eyes. He glares at her, as she narrows her own and lifts her head up. “Do you really think I care about this Ryu-chan? Because unlike you I don’t have a future the minute this is over.”

She winces at his harsh words, knowing he’s right considering things. Besides Kaito he’s a main witness to Shido’s crimes...not to mention all that he’s done himself. Sae has probably been around considering his sour mood, and probably updated him.

“Y-yeah but...” She hesitates and groans. “I don’t know...I just felt like you deserved to at least know something I guess...a-and we’re going to fix what ever is wrong...I just know it.”

“Do you really think you can solve everyone’s problems?” He asks with a sneer. “Ryu-chan...I use to find your optimism charming...now I can see it’s idiotic.”

Ryuko bites her lip as she tires to keep her anger down. After all she did save his stupid life, and all he seems to do in return is be a sarcastic nasty ass back at her. She didn’t expect a thank you, but Ryuko did expect...something more than what she’s been getting. He kept saying sorry after all so where the hell did that go?

“No I can’t, but you know sitting here and doing nothing isn’t going to change shit.” Ryuko points out rubbing the back of her neck.

“Must be nice not to be sitting in the hospital with a gun shot wound.” Akechi rolls his eyes, smirking when he sees Ryuko twitch.

“Okay you’ve got me there but still...We were able to change people before, maybe going at the big bad guy will really solve things for good.” Ryuko grips her hands into a tight fist, trying her best to be to at least look at things with hope. Because if she doesn’t...then what else is there?

Akechi stares at her, dropping his smirk before looking forward. The silence is awkward but she can tell he’s thinking about things. Finally he sighs, and opens his book.

“I don’t think you can alter this world that easily Ryu-chan. This world...this world is harsh...it’s bitter and it’s cold.” He says lifting his head to look at her. “I know this all to well, and nothing will ever change this.”

The sad defeated look on Akechi’s face twists her heart as Ryuko bites her lip. His eyes are empty and his shoulders are slumped, which feels...wrong on him. She always found his over confidence annoying, and often wanted to punch him for it herself. At the same time however...that was Akechi. Even though a good chunk of this guy was fake, he still wasn’t this defeated shell of a person.

The pouting, and him being a sore loser is totally Akechi, she’s glad to see that some days. But this sad lost look in his eyes...it scares her a bit.

Sighing Ryuko stands up from her seat and sets the chair back in it’s place. Her visit has been short, only ten minutes in total now that she thinks about it but it’s time for her to go. There isn’t much more between them at the moment and she can’t think of anything else to add.

“Yeah...you’re right.” Ryuko slips her hands into her hoodie’s pockets staring at him. “But at the same time...I also think just sitting and not trying is worse.”

He lifts his head, and stares into her eyes with a doubtful expression on his face. Despite this he shakes his head, mumbling something about her stupid optimism. There’s a hint of a smile as his gaze drops down to look at his book.

“Hmm...good luck with that then.” He says with his eyes scanning the page. “Don’t get yourself killed...again.”

Ryuko snorts at that one as she shrugs her shoulders. “Says the loser who got shot. Either way, thanks Akechi.”

“Hmm.” Is all she gets from him as she turns to go towards the door.

She pauses, her hand on the door knob as an odd thought pops up in her mind. Her leg starts to nervously bounce at the thought, as her cheeks heat up a little bit. Ryuko is happy her back is to him so he can’t see her expression.

“A-and if things don’t go to hell, I’ll come by tomorrow night with some fried chicken to celebrate or some shit.” She suggests letting her head dip down a bit. “Tomorrow’s Christmas eve after all right? Gotta have some fried chicken! A-anyways, I’ll see you tomorrow.”

Before Akechi can say anything Ryuko opens and rushes though the door, letting it slam close behind her. She keeps walking despite the way her heart beats in her chest, and feels so dumb at her cheeks heating up like they have. And she especially hates the fact that she felt sorry for him being all alone on Christmas eve. If it weren’t for that she’d never suggest coming by with dinner…

“Fuck it...” Ryuko sighs under her breath as she stuffs her hands into her hoodie once more. “I’ve got more important shit to worry about tonight.”

So with a shaky deep breath, Ryuko calms herself and focuses on preparing for the big fight ahead of her with her friends.

* * *

It’s sharp piercing screams that wake Akechi with a start, his heart jumping up into his throat. Blinking and rubbing his eyes, he tries to figure out when he fell asleep, vaguely remembering him drifting off after reading a bit. It’s not that late in the day either, but when you don’t have much else to look forward to other than a nurse with food a lot of sleeping happens. The loud yelling and screeching is more than enough to wake Akechi out of this however, especially with how odd it is.

He looks at the clock in his room and sees it’s late in the afternoon, and unless an emergency happened a hospital should not be this loud. Even with that, there is something...off about everything. Something thick and heavy hangs over him as he forces himself to stand up from his bed. Even through the slight sore pain in his gut, he recognizes this oppressive air especially considering how ignoring this feeling once screwed him over.

It feels like he’s in the middle of the metaverse.

Akechi takes his time to walk over to his door, placing a hand against his wound before reaching out, pushing it open. Instantly he regrets it, as the chaos outside nearly knocks him back. Nurses, doctors, and patients of all kind rush around screaming. Some try to help each other, but most seem to be pushing and trying to get out of the area. It’s only when he sees a nurse _disappear_ _before his eyes_ that Akechi understands the freak out and slams his door shut.

‘ _What….what the hell was that?’_ He asks himself, his entire body shaking. _‘She...she just..._ _vanished_ _...’_

Biting his lip and rushing over to his window despite the pain, he grips the curtain and tears it open. Outside is something he’s can only imagine as a nightmare, but realizes...it’s all to real.

Giant thick structures have grown out of the ground and remind him instantly of bones, almost like ribs. They tower over the buildings, twisted and looming like some large beast died and rotted away leaving only it’s bones. A red liquid rains down onto the streets, while he can just barely see the same mayhem that now makes up a good chunk of the hallways outside his room is happening in the streets. People are panicking, running around and screaming as others disappear just as the nurse before. It’s surreal on on an insane level, and leaves Akechi shaking as he presses his hand against the window.

“What is all this?” He asks aloud, wondering what kind of hell he’s found himself in.

Is he hallucinating? Or is this actually real? With everything that has gone down for him over the past two years it’s hard to say, and it’s frightening. Akechi bites his lip as he watches the red rain continue to fall, his mind racing to figure out what to do next as his wound throbs painfully. His other hand lands on his side, gripping his shirt so tight his knuckles turn white.

Where could he go in a mess like this? What could he even _do_ in a situation considering the fact his mind can barely comprehend everything. So many questions rush through Akechi’s mind as he stares, panicking every so slightly at the fact that nothing is coming. After all there’s not much one can do in a situation like this, outside of maybe run. But seeing how people are literally disappearing it’s pretty clear that running isn’t going to do anything.

Wait, what about…

“Ryu-chan.” Akechi blurts out her name as he lifts his head looking towards the sky.

A weird feeling forms inside his chest as he remembers Ryuko’s words from the previous night. She had said they were going down to memento’s...to figure out what’s going on. Is this the result of that? What the hell happened? Are they fighting something? If so is she--

“At the moment she’s fighting against a corrupted god with her friends.”

The light voice from behind, makes Akechi jump and turn around. To his surprise, a small girl in a pretty blue dress and long blond hair stands there. She’s gnawing at her lip, as she adjusts her hold on a large book in her arms. With ease she moves it to the crook of her right elbow, and takes hold of her dress to do a quick curtsy.

“It’s nice to finally meet you Akechi Goro.” She says as she stands up straight, and stares straight into his eyes. “I apologize our meeting is in such a dire situation, but due to a lot of meddling from an outside source this is the only time we could properly greet one another.”

Akechi takes in her words, as he feels an odd sort of deija vu come over him. This girl...with her odd colored hair and gold eyes feels almost familiar. Maybe it’s the blue of her dress, or the way she stares straight through him that reminds him of an odd dream he had two years ago. A strange blue room, with an equally strange long nosed man sitting behind a desk.

Unfortunately nothing solid comes, and he can’t help the way he narrows his eyes at the child.

“Do...Do I know you?” He asks finally, licking his lips. “I think...I think we met somewhere.”

Lavenza looks a bit hurt at his words but nods her head a little. “In a way, yes. But now is not the time to look back, right now we have to look forward.”

With that said she walks straight towards him, and stops when she’s by his side looking out the window. Her eyes dart as she watches the scene before them, as she hugs the large book to her chest.

“I know...my master and myself can never make up for how _he_ manipulated you...at the same time however your actions are your own and as a wild card you must own up to them.” Lavenza sighs softly as she looks up at him, catching his eyes. “Unlike Chiba Kaito, you let the darkness consume you and used your powers for your own gain. You cannot run from that Akechi Goro...never ever.”

Akechi listens to her words, and feels oddly guilty at the pain hidden in her tone, but can’t help the harsh laugh that escapes his lips. Despite the confused glint, he refuses to look away from her as his hands grip into tight fists.

“You don’t need to tell me that Chiba Kaito is a better person than I am.” Akechi says as he feels his heart clench. “I don’t deserve anyone’s pity given my actions. What I did was wrong, and no matter what I say I can’t fix what I’ve already ruined.”

Lavenza is quiet as she stares at him, watching the way his head droops down and his hand comes to rub at his eyes. Akechi isn’t sure why he’s crying, as all his emotions rush over him and mix together. He’s angry, and he’s horribly sad which stir inside his chest. It burns and feels like a hot stinging coal has settled inside of him that hurts worse than his injury.

“This is my fault isn’t it?” He asks his voice a soft whisper. “I..I let _him_ use me to get the power he wanted...”

He’s fucked up far beyond what a normal person can do and can just feel it inside of himself that he’s why this happened. His obsession with his revenge against his father is what lead to this, and this is his punishment. Akechi wonders if he’ll be the last one to disappear like the others. Forced to watch everyone around him be taken away until finally it’s his turn.

Or will he be left all alone, forced to suffer in a lonely hell for all eternity?

“No this is not your fault!” Lavenza’s shout shakes Akechi out of his dark thoughts, making him look at her.

He’s never seen such a young girl her age look so determined and upset, but it’s something that blows away everything. He watches her as she takes a step forward and takes hold of his hand, surprising him with how warm her touch is. It reminds Akechi of Ryuko, remembering how warm that girl runs but finds an odd part of his mind think to itself that the older girl is much warmer than Lavenza.

“That...that horrible God cheated!! He stacked the deck against not only you but everyone else!” Lavenza says as she stomps her foot. “You always had that potential to go to the darker side of things, just like Kaito! But you also have good inside you too, I can see it in your eyes! Akechi, you wouldn’t feel so guilty over your actions if you didn’t have something inside of you!!”

Her words remind him of another blonde girl, who was just as fierce as she yelled at him. Even though he had been loosing consciousnesses Akechi remembers Ryuko yelling at him not to die. That if he really did feel sorry...then he should live because that is the only way he was going to make up for anything.

“ _When you are healed, and after everything is done...you are going to jail Akechi.”_

“So...what do you suppose I do then? Because once...” Akechi smiles as he sniffs a bit, his free hand coming to wipe away his tears. Sae’s words echo in his mind as he knows all to well that she’s right. “Because the only option I have right now is to go to jail. That really is the only way to really repent after everything I’ve done.”

That’s what happens when people commit crimes and murder people. He knows that all to well considering working as a detective. Sure he might have been a fake one, but every so often but he saw his share of real criminals being brought in. And that is what he is himself...a criminal who deluded himself into thinking he was doing something right.

Lavenza frowns at his words and looks down as her small hand squeezes his own. “I know well about your world’s rules...but given the circumstances and everything else I begged my master to do...something so that’s why--”

Screams erupt inside Akechi’s head, making him gasp in surprise and let go of Lavenza’s hand. He presses his hand against his forehead as a headache spreads across there as familiar pained moans follow.

“ _Shit...this can’t be happening...”_

“Ryu-chan!”

Akechi feels his heart do flip flops as he lifts his head towards the ceiling, trying to figure out where Ryuko’s voice is coming from. She’s high up somewhere, but all he can see is the hospital ceiling. For the past few minutes he’s felt something shift in the air, but had been sure that was just from him talking to Lavenza.

“Where are they?” Akechi asks as he looks back down to Lavenza who’s own head is still tilted up. He can hear Ryuko grunt, and swearing as she tries to push herself up. “She’s hurt...”

“They’re fighting Jaldaboath, the god who cheated and used you in his twisted game.” Lavenza says with a shaky sigh. She grips her hand into a fist and presses it against her chest as she closes her eyes. “And he’s just dealt them a harsh blow...they might not make it.”

“So that’s what was down in memento’s.” Akechi says with a harsh laugh. “And those idiots decided to go and poke at it.”

The sound of cheers from outside draws his attention next, and makes him turn towards the window. Outside, instead of the mass panic from a few minutes before, a huge group of people have gathered in the streets. From what he can see everyone is now cheering, up towards the sky which makes him lean just a bit to see what they’re looking at.

Akechi feels his stomach drop when he what he can only imagine is an actual _God_ tower over the city.

“ _You hear that!? Those are the voices of the humans you made fun of!!”_ _T_ he familiar sharp yell of Morgana reaches Akechi from above, making him focus intently at a shape in front of the so called God. He can’t make it out what it is exactly but he gets the feeling that’s where the phantom thieves are, fighting with all their might. _“No one want’s you to rule over them! Isn’t that right Joker!?”_

A soft strained laugh reaches Akechi’s ears. _“Damn...damn right you are Morgana...Heh...”_

Akechi can now hear the cheers of the crowd below just a bit better. They want the phantom thieves to win, to beat down this thing that calls itself a god...

“ _Shit, why do they gotta word it like they’re lookin’ down on us?”_

“Ryu-chan...” Akechi takes a step forward when she hears her voice, the sound of her struggling makes his heart do a weird twist. He can hear the others too, all getting up on their feet, ready to face down this threat...to beat god into submission.

Akechi finds himself laughing and shaking his head. If there was any group of people that would step up and try to take down a god...it would be the phantom thieves. They’ve all had society put them down, and they rose up and against it. If a god wants to do the same, then there is no way they would back down...especially Ryuko.

“ _ **You foolish little worms...God is the one who creates the world!!”**_

The way the words come out twisted and heartless is what makes Akechi rush forward. If there really are gods out in this messed up world, then there is no way something so selfish to say that can be one. That mind set is far to human for him to be comfortable with.

With a grunt he throws the window open and braces himself on the sill and takes a moment to look down at the city. He can see the crowd, still cheering and yelling at the phantom thieves to win, that they can beat back this so called god. It’s laughable...to think the group up above the clouds fighting this monster was just a few ordinary high school students a year ago…

“Please...” His voice feels hoarse as he pauses, trying to find the right words. They well up inside his heart as he takes a deep breath.

“ **Please, Ryuko! Please prove to me that I’m wrong!!”**

* * *

When she hears Akechi’s voice a chill runs up Ryuko’s spine. She takes a second, to turn and look as a smile spreads across her face. When she’s facing forward again, she feels Kaito’s hand land on her shoulder.

“Was that who I thought it was?” He asks, giving her bit of a smirk. “Sounds like you visited someone pretty important before going to memento’s.”

“Don’t give me that smirk.” Ryuko says rolling her eyes as she playfully elbows his side. It’s odd how she feels a rush of excitement as Akechi’s cheers soon join all the other voices and she briefly wonders where that came from. But it’s nice…

Ryuko focuses on the so called god as she cracks her knuckles, enjoying the little pops and grins.

“But you heard the ass...let’s prove him wrong!!”

* * *

It’s kind of funny how anticlimactic the night feels now as Ryuko stands in line to get fried chicken. Just a few hours...minutes? Whatever form of time has passed, it’s startling to think she and her friends had been facing down a _God_ and kicked his ass. Or whatever the hell he had been in the end, but yet here she is now. Grabbing some hot fried chicken and running to a hospital to spend it with a guy who tried to kill herself and her best friends.

Who she also had sex with him once.

‘ _This has been a hell of a year.’_ She thinks as she pays for her meal. Ryuko quickly leaves the restaurant and heads towards the hospital. _‘To think if I hadn’t talked to Kaito in the rain none of this should would have happened?’_

Part of her is glad she did as she wanders the streets of Tokyo, a bit of pride welling up inside her chest. After all if she hadn’t talked to that glasses wearing dork, and made friends with him then well...she’d be lonely still. Or dead...

It’s been a hell of a year, but she wouldn’t trade it for anything.

* * *

“Heeeey, sorry I’m a bit late...shit happened.”

Akechi can’t help the snort that comes up when he hears Ryuko’s words as she slips into his hospital room. Still he watches her close the door quietly, knowing well she just dodged nurses to make her way in here. He can smell the fresh fried chicken from his bed and feels his stomach growl thankful for the food.

“That is putting it lightly.” He says as she lays the bag of chicken on the table next to him.

Ryuko pauses as she catches his eyes and she smiles at him as her hands land on her hips.

“Did you just make a joke? I thought you were going to be a sour ass until you died.” She makes quick work of the bag, pulling out some paper plates she bought so they could eat together.

Ryuko hands one to him, full of chicken and mashed potatoes with a plastic fork on there so he could eat. She does the same for herself, and instead of pulling up a chair she sits down next to him on the bed. Akechi doesn’t bother fighting with her, seeing the exhaustion in her eyes and body language as she tiredly nibbles at her food right away. If anything she deserves a quiet moment given the day she’s been through….

“Well...a lot of things have changed today.” He says as he takes a bite of his own meal.

After they defeated the god...Akechi doesn’t really remember much afterwards. A bright flash of light came and then suddenly he was back in his hospital bed, and it was night. Lavenza was gone, and he was alone but he could tell something was different now. The world felt lighter, and he knew deep inside that the phantom thieves had won.

“Mmm so you remember everything too?” She asks eyeing him.

“Yes I do.” He answers with a small nod. Akechi sighs as a smile spreads across his lips as he looks into her eyes. “You proved me wrong Ryu-chan. Thank you.”

Ryuko is quiet as she stares back and he notices the soft blush on her cheeks as she shrugs her shoulders. “Ahhg it’s all in a day’s work for a phantom thief. So you’re welcome I guess.”

A soft silence drifts between them after that, both eating their meals. Soon after he finishes, Akechi feels a heavy weight on his shoulder. When he looks, a part of him is not surprised to see Ryuko has fallen asleep. Given the day she’s had, he’s surprised she made it through a meal after walking all the way here. He gently takes her empty plate along with his own, setting it down on the table next to the food and making sure not to move the teen.

‘ _She’s a bit cuter when she’s sleeping...’_ He thinks as he brushes a bit of her bangs from her face.

A warm weight settles down inside of him as he realizes he really does want her by his side. He thought for a bit that had just been the stress and everything else getting to him. That he latched on to Ryuko because of what happened between them in that safe room. But now...now he’s sure that if she were to stay with him he’d be happy.

But he doesn’t deserve her...

His thumb brushes across her lips, remembering how they felt against his own so long ago. Akechi twists a bit, kissing the top of her head before he leans back in his bed. Quietly he takes hold of her hand, intertwining his fingers with his as he squeezes it feeling the heat of her body against his own.

Akechi knows his future isn’t exactly bright at the moment and there is a lot he has to own up to, but for now he pushes that fear and worry to the back of his mind. And he let’s himself enjoy this quiet moment, memorizing every detail and sealing it away inside his mind.

He’s going to miss Ryuko the most in the end...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I...I don't even know what to say right now. I'm kind of still in shock that I finished this fic within the year. In fact I'm surprised I finished this at all. To be completely honest I've never actually finished an entire multi-chapter fic ever. This is my first and I'm just...so proud of it that i feel like I'm having a slight existential crisis.
> 
> It's kind of funny how much has changed since I first posted this fic way back in the summer. I started a job, got something stable going with that, and have been able to just pay for things. I've also started like 3 other fics and posted 4 chapters of one but still I'm just really glad I've been able to finish this one. 
> 
> I want to say thank you to everyone who's read this, and who will read this! I write this stuff for myself, but I really post it for you all and I am so happy that you enjoy my weird work. I had so much fun finishing this, and even though it took a while your comments and everything kept me going! Seriously do not be afraid to comment on fics, it really motivates the writers and I know for sure it motivates me that there are people out there enjoying my work. 
> 
> Thank you all for your support and sticking with me! It got a bit crazy towards the end but I'm glad i was able to finish this!! 
> 
> The ending...is a bit open ended for many reasons. I felt that if I closed it all at once then it wouldn't feel right, and there needs to be a good balance for that. Especially since I do plan to visit this universe in the future. Lol I'm not done with this crazy one, and Ryuko and Akechi both have a ways to go in this place. But for now I hope you all enjoy what's here and look forward to what's to come. 
> 
> Thank you for everything and once more please leave a comment! I want to know what you all think of this ending and hoped you enjoyed it! 
> 
> I hope you all have a Happy New Year and I'll see you all with my next fic! Thank you!!


End file.
